[Femslash Exchange Fic] Friend Like You by milk_and_glass for biruuu

[gfs_exchange]

Title: Friend Like You
Author: milk_and_glass
Written For: biruuu
Prompt: Brittany/Rachel - Tutoring
Pairing: Brittany/Rachel
Rating/Warnings: R
Spoilers: None
Summary: Rachel offers to tutor a student in need of educational help for final exams. She gets Brittany and spends two weeks fruitlessly trying to teach the dizzy blonde enough to avoid summer school. In return, Brittany teaches her a few things about kissing and sex.



Emma Pillsbury isn't surprised to see Rachel Berry in her office. What she is surprised about is Rachel's latest request.

"Rachel, it's two weeks before summer. Why are you asking about tutoring?"

"Well, I heard that you had a student-to-student tutoring program going on, and while I don't have my final marks, I can guarantee that I am definitely someone you want to help out other students over the summer. I assume it is over the summer, right?"

Emma simply stares at Rachel in confusion. "Rachel, the program was throughout the year, during classes. The only student tutoring options I have left are final exam tutoring, and as it's your junior year, aren't you interested in, well, studying as much as you can so that you can get top grades? I know how much you care about that," she adds, looking at the girl's eager, determined face.

"Oh, no. I'm not worried at all about my own schoolwork. I already know I'm doing fine, and the marks that aren't up to par I'll fight for. No, I'd like to really give back. Now that Glee is over for the year, I have spaces in my extremely busy schedule to help another student pass a subject they'd probably otherwise fail."

Emma simply gives up and hands over the sign-up sheet. "There are several students in need of a tutor for final exams. Take your pick."

Rachel skims over the list and looks bored. "Are these all kids in the special classes?"

Her dismissive tone makes Emma want to snap at her, but she manages to respond kindly. "Not all of them. They are the ones who need help, you know," she replies sharply, and Rachel shuts her mouth.

"Brittany Pierce came in the other day asking for extra help. Why don't you take her? You already know each other, so it shouldn't be too tough to break the ice," says Emma brightly, and pretends not to see Rachel's eyeroll.

"Brittany would only accept to get more information about me to make fun of with her stupid friends," mutters Rachel. "I don't think so."

"Well, you did say you wanted to help." Emma begins to Purell her hands. "She needs help."

Rachel appears to be considering this option, despite her protests, and Emma knows she'll do it when she places the clipboard holding the list of students back on Emma's desk and sighs deeply.

"Okay. I'll help Brittany."

"Great!" Emma makes a note of it on the clipboard and then smiles brightly at Rachel. "You'll figure all the times and such out on your own. Most students prefer once or twice a week. Brittany can tell you what she wants to study."

Rachel gets up to leave and turns at the door, looking a little lost. "What happens if it doesn't work out?"

"Just come back in and let me know, and we'll reassign both of you."

Rachel nods, and walks out the door, sighing again. Emma simply shrugs and wonders to herself how this actually will go.

She suspects she'll be hearing from Rachel in less than a week.

//~//

Rachel approaches Brittany after English class, a little nervously. The dizzy blonde girl isn't exactly the easiest person to talk to, and when she's flanked by Santana and Quinn, as she is now, it's even more difficult to catch her attention. Rachel finally grabs her arm as she walks by and Brittany stops, looking vaguely surprised.

"What, Rachel? Sorry, I'm not really into people touching me. Especially when they're you."

Quinn and Santana titter at Brittany's matter-of-fact jibe and Rachel simply ignores her.

"I'm your new tutor," she says. "I wanted to arrange some times to meet and go over what you need to study."

Brittany just stares at her, dead-eyed. "I only put my name on the list because Mrs. Huntsman made me. I'm failing everything. It really doesn't matter where we start. I'll have to do summer school anyway."

Santana puts a hand on Brittany's shoulder and looks Rachel up and down. "Berry's your tutor? In what, how to dress like a grandma?"

Brittany smirks vaguely and turns back to Rachel. "Lord Tubbington has his weekly bath tomorrow so I don't really know if I can fit you in. I'll call you. What's your cell number?"

Rachel gets out her phone, but Brittany is already scrolling through her contacts and waves her away. "I've already got your number, actually. Why?"

"The mash-up competition from this year?" Rachel sounds uncertain, and Brittany nods.

"Oh, yeah." She puts her phone away. "So I'll call you whenever."

"I feel I should tell you that there are only two weeks until the beginning of exams and if you're failing everything, we really should get started . . ." Rachel trails off as Brittany turns her back on her and starts walking away with her friends.

"Okay, then," mutters Rachel, and stalks off in the other direction. Why, for once, can't people just cooperate with her?

//~//

A few days pass before Rachel's phone rings in the middle of Biology. Shit, did she forget to turn it off?

The number that comes up on it is Brittany's. Why is Brittany calling her when she's in class? Rachel quickly flips the phone to silent ring, but by the end of the class, the little screen, framed in Bejewels that she put there one boring Saturday night, shows six missed calls.

Brittany is waiting for her outside the door. "So, I called and called, and for some reason, you didn't answer. I thought you wanted to get started."

"I was in class, Brittany!" Rachel splutters. "Surely even you should realize that I can't exactly answer my phone in class! We're not even allowed to have them!"

Brittany just looks at her as if she hasn't said anything, and continues speaking. "So, tonight works. I have my English exam next week. You can come to my house. Normally I'd be watching Dancing with the Stars but I don't really want to give up my whole summer for summer school. Do you think they'd let us study at the beach?"

Rachel isn't really sure what to say to this, so she simply nods. "I'll come over tonight."

"Cool." Brittany shoulders her backpack. "You know, if you took off that sweater and maybe dropped the knee socks, you'd probably look better."

Rachel shrugs off the suggestions, as she does all shots at her wardrobe. "Okay, I'll meet you after school then."

Brittany wanders off down the hallway and Rachel looks surreptitiously down at herself. Maybe she could lose the knee socks. They are sort of babyish. Leaning against the wall, she takes off one of her sensible loafers and skins the sock off her leg. It does look better. She takes the other sock off and stuffs them into her backpack, and then heads to her next class.

//~//

"So, when you're studying Romeo and Juliet, the thing to remember is themes. Themes are the main discussion point and she's probably going to ask you that stuff on the exam. I wrote down these five and some examples from the story to cite in the essay question. If you want me to explain it more, I can . . . Brittany?" Rachel looks up from her notes to see Brittany dangling her necklace in front of her face, spinning it around and around on its chain.

"Sorry, I wasn't listening." The cheerleader sits up and looks bored. "Can't we do something else besides this? I thought this was going to be more fun."

Rachel just looks confused. "It's tutoring. How is tutoring fun?"

"Well, it sure isn't when I have to listen to you go on and on about boring stuff," complains Brittany. She slumps back on her bed and strokes the massive cat purring beside her. "Even Lord Tubbington is falling asleep."

Rachel refrains from saying that as far as she's aware, falling asleep is what cats do, and turns to the next page in her notes. "Anyway, the next thing you'll need to be prepared for is the multiple choice part of the exam."

"I always pick C. I'm mostly right."

"And that's why you're failing, Brittany." Rachel puts her notes down with a sigh. "What is it that you really want from this?"

Brittany's eyes are focused on the ceiling, but her mouth is set stubbornly. "I want people to stop calling me stupid. And I don't want to spend all summer in school."

"Then you have to pass your classes. And that means you have to concentrate."

"Oh, you're like everyone else. You think I'm stupid, too."

Rachel stands up. "Look, this is a waste of my time and yours. I never said you were stupid and I've actually been trying to help you. Maybe school isn't your forte, but you don't need to accuse me of saying things I haven't. Anyway, I'm sure you're good at lots of things."

"Oh, I am," comes the vague, bored voice. "I've slept with everyone in the school, almost."

"I've heard that," says Rachel dryly. "Though what that has to do with anything I can't imagine - "

"Well, no, I guess not. You're still a virgin, aren't you?"

Rachel sits back down with a bump, more shocked than anything. "I don't think that's any of your business - "

"Santana told me that Finn told her. It's sad in a way. I'm sure if you just loosened up, you wouldn't be a virgin anymore."

"I don't even know if I'm ready to have sex yet!" Rachel's face is flaming. Brittany sits up, looking unconcerned.

"You don't have to have sex to be good in the bedroom, Rachel." She sits down on the floor beside Rachel. "You can be a good kisser and it's almost the same."

Rachel looks confused - a perpetual feeling with Brittany. "What do you mean?"

"Well, a kiss can get a guy just as excited and then it's just like having sex, you know? They still have a good time and you don't have to put out."

"Brittany, that makes no sense. Kissing is nothing like having sex."

"No, I'm serious, look. I'll show you." And with that, Brittany kisses Rachel.

Rachel's eyes fly open in surprise, and then flutter closed. The kiss is soft, insistent, and awakens a warm, wanting feeling inside her. Brittany's lips are soft, sweet, and her tongue explores Rachel's mouth in interest. Rachel finds herself getting into the kiss - Brittany's hands rest comfortably on her back, and the scent of the girl's shampoo and fabric softener is, well, it's nice. Rachel isn't sure if she's gay or not, but she definitely feels a sense of loss and wanting when she and Brittany break apart.

Rachel is speechless for a few moments after the kiss, and then manages to stammer, "I guess I see what you mean."

"Yeah, it's not hard. You just keep their attention long enough and if you don't feel like doing it that night they'll leave you alone for the most part."

Rachel nods and then looks down at her notes, for once, at loss for something to say. She closes her book and then rises.

"Well, think about what you want to study for next time, and we will," she says, and then walks out.

What a weird thing to have happened.

//~//

The next time Rachel tutors Brittany, it's two days later and at the Berry house. Brittany seems completely nonplussed by Rachel's over-the-top room, complete with sitting area and gym area, and flops on her bed.

"Don't you get tired of all these stuffed animals? Sometimes I think mine come to life at night. I'd be afraid all yours would kill me."

As is Rachel's habit with Brittany now, she simply ignores the girl and opens her science notes. "Now, we should likely go over photosynthesis. It'll be part of the exam for sure; Mr. Johnson went over it at least three times this semester."

Brittany yawns. "I guess so."

Rachel starts droning on about different parts of the biology curriculum while Brittany lies on her bed, staring at her canopy. When Rachel is about to move from the digestive system to the parts of the brain, Brittany finally sits up.

"Okay, Rachel, I didn't want to tell you this, but you're really boring. Almost so boring that I feel like I'm getting stupider listening to you."

Rachel stops talking and her face falls. "So . . . I'm not actually helping you. At all." Her voice is as flat as Brittany's, and the blonde girl looks regretful.

"Not really. Sorry. If it helps, no one has been able to tutor me."

"It's because you just don't care, Brittany," says Rachel, sitting up from her slump on her sofa and beginning to lecture. "If you just paid a little attention, maybe you'd learn something."

"I don't care about school."

"I begin to think you don't care about anything," says Rachel severely, and then suddenly Brittany is right in front of her, and she has a sudden horrible feeling that the other girl is about to punch her for that.

She squelches her eyes shut and flinches, and then after a moment, opens her eyes to see Brittany staring at her quizzically.

"Are you okay? Do you have health problems or something?"

"No." Rachel just feels confused. As she's about to ask Brittany what exactly she wants from Rachel, Brittany leans forward and kisses her again.

This time, Rachel is more experienced and is able to actually move in rhythm with Brittany, following her movements, and even exploring more herself. Her hands wander over the other girl's thick blonde hair, tied in its customary ponytail, and down over the soft fabric of her shirt and jeans. Brittany's own hands begin to stroke Rachel's soft brown hair and move down to Rachel's breasts, squeezing them experimentally before Rachel realizes what's happening and pulls away.

"Okay, what is this?" Her voice is sharp, and she feels bad, but asks anyway. "Are you gay?"

"No. I just like girls, too. Sweet lady kisses."

"But why me?"

"I don't know. You're more interesting when I'm kissing you. You're not a bad kisser, you know. I wonder what you'd be like in bed."

"Have you slept with women before?" Rachel's eyes are humongous, and Brittany laughs a little bit, the first time that Rachel has actually seen her show any real emotion.

"Of course. I told you, I've slept with almost everyone in the school."

"Do you want to sleep with me?" It's a direct question, and Rachel blushes as she asks, but Brittany shrugs.

"Only if you want to. I don't force things. I don't care enough."

Rachel looks at her and finds her voice again. "Well, I'm not sure if I'm gay, and I don't know if I'm ready for sex. I've told you that."

"You don't have to be gay to sleep with a woman, and you don't have to be ready for sex. Some people don't even think that two girls sleeping together even counts."

Rachel looks offended. "Of course it counts! Anyone who thinks that is just plain wrong. And homophobic," she adds for good measure.

"Well, I'm not homophobic. I live in a home. How could I be scared of that?"

"Um . . ." Rachel just trails off. "I think it's probably time you left."

"Sure." Brittany gets up and kisses Rachel on the cheek. "Thanks. It was fun."

"You said you were bored!"

"Not with the kissing. Can I come back on Friday?"

Rachel looks and feels confused, and wants to tell Brittany no. She isn't this type of girl, to just fool around like this.

But she finds herself nodding. "Sure. Come back on Friday."

They won't be getting any studying done, anyway. It's not like she has anything else to do.

//~//

Rachel passes all of her exams with flying colours. Brittany fails all of hers except for English, surprisingly. "I made up a story about Romeo and Juliet and the teacher gave me part marks. I guess that's how I passed."

Rachel is sitting outside in her backyard, and Brittany is swimming in the Berry's pool. "Well, that must count for something. You really should have paid more attention."

Despite Brittany's struggle in school, she isn't stupid. She's just vacant. Rachel finds that though she isn't really sure what planet Brittany's on most of the time, she enjoys the other girl's company. Brittany doesn't demand a lot of conversation or deep thinking. She pretty much wants to blather to you about anything and everything on her mind. Rachel doesn't actually mind that.

Then there's the sex. This happened just after exams ended.

"I'm not ready for sex," said Rachel, feeling as if she's been saying this forever. "I don't want to have sex with you."

"I'm not going to take your virginity. Just relax."

Rachel had laid back on her bed and shivered as Brittany's soft, skilful lips traced their way over her body, Brittany's hands moving under her shirt to cup and stroke her breasts. It was exquisite, and she felt herself responding, though her nervousness was paramount.

Brittany had skinned off Rachel's panties, pushing up her skirt so that she had full access to Rachel's sex, which was dripping at this point (embarrassingly, though Rachel supported being open about sex and had done a lot of research on women's parts and what happens during sex). She had licked Rachel eagerly, eliciting a gasp from the smaller girl.

"See, it's not sex. But it's nice, right?"

"Yes. It's very nice. Very, very nice."

Brittany had smiled and continued to lick Rachel, fucking her slowly with her tongue. It hadn't taken long for Rachel to come - and then she'd been embarrassed at how messy it was. They didn't talk about this in the books.

That was the first time. The second time, she'd let Brittany put her fingers inside Rachel's vagina. Brittany assured her this still didn't mean that she was losing her virginity, but Rachel knew better - and felt slight pain as her normally tight sex stretched under Brittany's ministrations.

They hadn't had sex since, but Rachel thought about it all the time. Brittany, as per usual, didn't seem to care one way or another.

"So, you'll go to summer school?"

"Have to. That's the only way they'll pass me. I'll probably fail that, too. I've been failing since I got to high school."

Rachel doesn't ask why. She doesn't really care, anymore. Brittany has her own agenda.

"You know, I've never really had a friend like you," she says suddenly.

"You'll never have another one, either," replies Brittany, her eyes sharpening and her smile much more intelligent than Rachel's ever seen it.

She's right.