fic: dizzy mess (3/3)
Part Two
******
The next day is really strange. Finn has a fantastic morning, but after he leaves his room, he barely even sees Sam for the longest time. The couple of times he does, Sam runs off to do something else. By lunchtime, Finn's pretty sure Sam's avoiding him. Finn goes to great pains to save him a seat on the couch where they can eat their sandwiches and watch the Daily Show, but Sam opts to eat at the table with Puck, where he can't even see the TV.
For the greater part of the afternoon, Finn pretends it's fine. He goes out of his way to get the full story from Mercedes about why she's mad at Lauren (something about clothes and singing that he doesn't understand, but he tries), and he even volunteers to drive Brittany and Santana to that souvenir shop Brittany's been dying to go to.
When they get back from their outing, Brittany comes to talk to him alone.
"Why are you so sad?"
"What? I'm not sad," Finn says, giving her a smile to prove his point. "See?"
She hands him one of the many keychains she'd bought at the souvenir shop. "The turtles want you to be happy."
Finn stares at the turtle keychain as she walks away, oddly touched.
He decides that she's right; he is sad. Fortunately it's his night to make dinner with Sam, so while they're preparing it, Finn brings up the subject.
"Hey, are you mad at me for some reason?"
Sam gives him a blank look. His voice is quiet when he says, "Dude, we made out for like an hour this morning. When did I ever give you the impression I was mad at you?"
Finn feels a rush of relief, but he still feels slightly unsettled. "Just, you've been avoiding me all day."
Sam is quiet for a minute as he focuses on cutting up lettuce for tacos. "I kinda figured you'd want to be discreet."
"Discreet?"
"Yeah, you know, keep things quiet so nobody figures us out."
"I know what discreet means," Finn says, or well, he'd had a good idea. "What makes you think I'd want that?"
Sam stops chopping, and Finn can feel his eyes on him. His tone is disbelieving when he says, "You don't?"
Finn shrugs one shoulder briefly. "I don't wanna go crazy, but, I dunno, I was kinda lookin' forward to," he stops and lowers his voice to more of a whisper, "being able to flirt. Without... thinkin' you might punch me in the face any second for it." He chances a glance at Sam, and he's almost smiling, which Finn takes as a good sign. "Besides, it's more likely they'd notice you avoiding me after everything we've done together all week."
"But what if they figure it out? You know how everyone in Glee likes to talk."
Finn shrugs. "Let 'em talk. They never said anything before. And if they do, we'll deal with it then." He sets the food aside and turns to face Sam, ready for whatever reaction.
Sam smiles wider than Finn has ever seen him smile. Then he seems to realize he's doing it, because he bites his lip and looks back at the lettuce. He doesn't look at Finn when he murmurs, "You should go upstairs like you're looking for something we bought for dinner." Sam glances at him to make sure he's listening, then back at the lettuce. "When I'm done here, I'll come up and get you."
"What am I looking for?" Finn asks, confused.
"Nothing," Sam says. "I just really want to kiss you, and I don't think I should with Puck and Lauren sitting right over there."
Finn makes it up the stairs in record time.
******
The next couple of days are great, now that Finn and Sam are on the same page. Finn's nights and 'mornings' (more like afternoons, but whenever he wakes up) are the best parts of his day, and the parts in between aren't half bad either.
They have to do some quick thinking on Sunday night after Lauren leaves and frees up a bedroom. Luckily Sam is quick with a response, saying he already promised Mercedes she could have the room so she wouldn't have to share with Rachel.
Finn immediately goes off to inform Mercedes of the lie, and in the process, he has to tell her about Sam. He's nervous about outing them all night until he gets a chance to tell Sam, who is luckily completely fine with it.
"Are you sure?" Finn asks. "I didn't think we wanted anyone to know, I mean, besides Kurt."
Sam looks at him for a long time, as if he's trying to figure something out. Finn tries not to squirm under his gaze. "Mercedes is cool. She won't tell anyone."
Finn breathes a sigh of relief. "Okay, cool."
******
Everything goes smoothly after that, until Tuesday night.
Everybody's crowded into the living room area watching Inception. Sam's apparently seen it more times than he can remember, and Finn still doesn't get it and probably never will, so he's more focused on how Sam is pressed right up next to him, even closer than usual because they're sharing the couch with Rachel. It's really dark, and they're off to the side, so Finn doesn't think much of it when Sam puts his hand on Finn's knee. He smiles and goes to bump his knee against Sam's, but then he looks around and Brittany is looking right at them, or more specifically, right at Sam's hand.
Panicking, Finn says, "Dude, what are you doing?" and pulls his knee away.
Sam looks at him, shocked, as several others look around to find out what's going on.
"Sorry," Sam says quickly. He makes a pained face and adds, "Leg cramp. Had to grab on to something to keep my mind off it."
Everyone is staring, but they soon lose interest and go back to the movie. Mercedes looks confused, though, and Santana just keeps glaring at Finn.
After a few minutes, Sam takes off outside. Santana then raises her eyebrows at Finn in a way that somehow threatens violence, so Finn goes after him.
"What the hell, Finn?" Sam says as soon as Finn finds him.
"Look, I'm sorry, but Brittany was looking right at us. If I just ignored you, she would have known something was up."
"Jesus, Finn. Have you ever made a decision in your life and actually stuck with it?"
Finn feels anger flare up in his chest. "What's that supposed to mean?"
"You just told me that you wanted me to keep up with the flirting, and now you make a scene when I do just that? You made me look like an idiot, Finn. You could've just pushed my hand away and no one would have noticed, but instead you made a huge deal about it and called me out in front of everyone."
He's got a point, and Finn still feels really guilty that he caused a scene. "I know, I didn't mean to. I just panicked, so I did the opposite of what I wanted to do. It was stupid, and I'm sorry." Sam looks a little bit less angry at that. "But we're gonna have to keep things quiet, you know, while we're dating. I mean, at McKinley--"
"Hold up," Sam interrupts. He looks sadder than he did before, but just as angry. "We're not dating, Finn. Dating requires actually thinking about someone other than yourself, and wanting to be together outside of just Santana's parents' bedroom. We may be more than friends, but we're definitely not dating."
Finn swallows. He doesn't like the sound of that. "I'm not--"
"And you know, I was prepared for that. I always figured, if we were ever together, that it'd be in secret. And that was fine. But you told me it wasn't like that. You told me you weren't ashamed of me. So what, that was a lie? It's perfectly fine for me to come on to you in public until someone notices, and then I'm repulsive?"
"Of course not, Sam--"
"Save it. I really like you, Finn. You're probably my greatest weakness. The Green Goblin would probably capture you to get me to do his will. But I can't handle you changing your mind all the time about us. I'd rather not be together at all than get jerked around every day by whether or not you want people to know."
Finn doesn't know what to say. He feels like a jerk, but he's not ready to just... come out, not to everyone.
Sam sighs, seemingly taking Finn's silence for agreement. "I'll sleep in Lauren's old room tonight. Mercedes won't mind switching back. Get back to me if you ever decide what you want."
"Wait, Sam," Finn says, grabbing Sam's wrist before he can turn around. "I really am sorry. Just... This is all new. I need time to figure it out. And maybe I don't deserve it, but... don't give up on me yet?"
Based on his expression, Sam seems to be torn between smiling and looking even angrier. The fact that Finn can tell that just by looking makes his chest hurt. "Just make sure whatever you decide is for real," Sam finally says, sounding sad. "And for the record, this is exactly why I wanted to take things slow." He pulls his wrist back, and this time Finn lets him go.
It takes a long time for him to fall asleep that night.
******
Finn has never been more nervous in his life, though that might be the anxiety talking. He stays huddled against the warm metal and stares at his phone, trying not to think about where he is or what he'll have to do. Instead he thinks about Sam, and how Mercedes might be handling the situation right now, and how long does it take to walk down the beach? What's taking so long?
But then he hears voices, and god, they're so far away, but he wouldn't hear anything if they weren't as close as they could be. He stares at his phone some more, willing it to ring, and this time it does.
When he answers, all Mercedes says is, "It's all on you now, Romeo," before handing the phone over to Sam.
"Hello?" Sam says, sounding confused.
"Sam, hey."
"Finn, what's going on?" Sam sounds tired. Finn knows how that is. He never thought sleeping alone would be a problem before this.
"I thought about it," Finn says sincerely. "I really did. It's all I could think about for the last twenty-four hours, and I even talked to Kurt about it, and I'm sure. I do want to date you."
"That's... great," Sam says, still confused. "Why are you telling me this on the phone? Where are you?"
"I'm... up here."
There's a long pause, and Finn waits for Sam to get it. He has to get it, because Finn doesn't know how he's ever going to move. "You didn't."
"Yeah," Finn says, trying not to think too hard about it. "That thing you said about your greatest weakness, it made me think about fears and like, maybe there are worse things than a few jerks giving me a hard time at school."
"So you climbed the water tower?!" Sam says, incredulous.
"Yeah, I dunno. It seemed like a good idea at the time. Didn't Mario climb towers for Peach?"
Sam's laugh seems to surprise even him. "Why do I gotta be the princess in this scenario?"
Finn smiles. "Dude, you made me Mary Jane in the last one."
"Uh, actually Gwen Stacy, but... fair enough." He sounds like he's smiling, which gives Finn enough confidence to go on.
"Look, I don't know if I'm ready to tell everyone yet, but that doesn't mean it has to be a complete secret. We can go out to places in like, Lima Heights, or over near Dalton, where we won't run into people. Maybe you can come over and meet my mom and Burt. And then when the summer's over, maybe I'll be ready to tell everybody. We can start by telling the rest of the glee club and work our way out from there."
"God, Finn, can you please shut up long enough for me to climb up there and see you?"
Finn's heart jumps in his chest. "Sure," he says, but Sam has already ended the call.
It takes forever for Sam to climb up. Finn keeps having horrible flashes of thought, like what if Sam fell and he didn't know and he would be stuck up here unable to help and unable to climb down. The what-ifs only get stronger as time goes on, until finally he has to shout, "You're still out there, right?"
"I'm almost there, dude, try not to have a panic attack."
Sam goes straight to Finn when he gets to the top, assuring him that he's okay. "How in the world did you make that climb?"
"It was fine at first, and then when I started freaking out, it was scarier to think of climbing down than to keep going up. I couldn't look down."
"You are absolutely insane," Sam says, and kisses him. Finn makes a little noise of enjoyment, followed quickly by a low moan as Sam's tongue reacquaints itself with Finn's own. He finds some of his anxiety melting away as his thoughts focus in on Sam, pulling him closer and deepening the kiss. When they pull away, breathing heavily, Finn can almost forget that he's on a rickety platform four stories above the ground. Almost.
"I was gonna stand at the edge in a big romantic gesture to wave at you when you answered the phone, but I was afraid if I looked down, I'd pass out and plummet to my death."
"That wouldn't have been very romantic," Sam agrees, smiling a bit giddily. "Can I say my part now?"
Finn nods.
Sam settles in next to him, propped up against the tower and as far from the edge as possible. It's quiet for a few seconds. "I'm trying to think of a less embarrassing way to say that I've liked you for ages, but I'm not coming up with anything."
"That's not embarrassing," Finn says. Trapping yourself on top of a water tower just for a stupid gesture, now that's embarrassing.
Sam chuckles. "Well, it was when I thought you were straight. But anyway, in all that time, I never really expected you to, like, become some different person. I like that you generally try to avoid drama and that you care about how people see you and that you speak up for the people that matter to you. I guess I'm just saying, you don't need to change who you are for me, just... make room for me. To be honest, the thought of everyone at school knowing scares the shit out of me too, but I never want to lie about it. If you're my boyfriend, I want to be proud of the fact."
Finn looks hopeful. "So you do... you wanna be my boyfriend?"
"Yeah," Sam says, dopey smile intact. "But, I mean. Only if you're ready for that. The whole point of us going slow was that I didn't want to scare you off."
"So if I promise not to be scared off, we can go fast?" Finn asks excitedly.
Sam laughs, resting his hand on Finn's leg. "Not while we have seven nosy neighbors sleeping so close by."
Finn feels a rush of feeling - a mixture of excitement, anxiety, and arousal. He'd only been joking, but the thought of actually doing some of that stuff with Sam... it's new, but not unpleasant. Finn should have plenty of time to familiarize himself with the possibilities before they happen.
"Jesus, Finn," Sam says, biting his lip and looking away from Finn. "You gotta stop looking like that."
"Like what?" Finn asks, feeling his face heat up.
"Like I could make out with you at the top of this water tower for three hours until we're both sunburnt and hungry from missing dinner and you wouldn't even care."
Finn swallows. "And what's wrong with that?"
Sam claps him on the shoulder before standing up. Finn's stomach lurches just thinking about it. "Sunburns hurt, and if you're up here until dark, we'll never get you down."
Sam offers his hand, but Finn just stares at it warily for several seconds, unmoving.
"If you stand up, you can kiss me."
Finn takes his hand, but he takes his time standing up. When he does, Sam wraps his arms around him firmly and kisses him like he means it.
Finn's breath is coming fast as they pull away, and Sam smiles mischievously. "There's more where that came from if you climb down."
Finn feels a rush of exhilaration in combination with a twist of his gut. "Uh."
"Deal?" Sam says, taking a step away. He doesn't let go, though, and gives Finn a second to think.
"What if... what if I climb down first, and you stay right above me so I don't have to look down?"
Sam smirks. "You just want an excuse to stare at my ass."
Finn shrugs. "It is a nice side effect."
"Deal," Sam says, and Finn takes a deep breath.
******
Through lots of cursing and assurances from Sam, Finn manages to survive the climb down. They even have time for a proper makeout session before they have to get ready and head over to Santana's uncle's place for dinner.
Their house is amazing. Finn can't help but stare at all the crazy things they have hanging on their wall, and the stories behind all of the things are even better. In between everyone else, Finn asks question after fascinated question all through dinner, all while Sam's hand rests comfortably on his knee under the table. He realizes halfway through dinner that the guy that's not Santana's uncle isn't just a roommate; the two of them are actually a couple. No one else seems surprised by this, and likewise they don't seem to have a problem with it. It's kind of the best night ever.
Finn is all geared up to get back to their room and talk about how amazing it was with Sam (maybe with some making out in between, if he's honest), but on the short walk back to their house, Rachel stops him. "Why don't you and I go for a walk?" she asks, all doe eyes and a big smile.
"Uh," Finn says, "I uh, I promised Sam that we'd duke it out in Smash Brothers."
"He doesn't mind waiting though, do you Sam?" she asks, taking Finn's arm. Finn stares at her like she's crazy. She looks back with those big eyes and whispers, "We haven't had a chance to talk the whole time I've been here."
Yeah, because Finn's got nothing to say. He'd asked her out; she'd chosen Jesse. Not that he has a problem with that anymore. Now that he's had time and some distance, he's grateful that he didn't get back together with her. But he still does think of her as a friend, which is why he decides to go along with her. He sends an apologetic look to Sam and says, "I guess I have time for a short walk."
"It's cool," Sam says, holding his hand out for a fistbump. "I'll just get Mike Chang to teach me all his secrets while we wait on you," he says, going along with the lie.
With everyone now inside or close to it and Rachel standing on Finn's other side, Finn is able to take Sam's hand and squeeze it rather than taking the fistbump. He gets a soft, real smile from Sam in return before he heads inside, and it makes him kinda giddy. "Great, where are we walkin'?" he asks Rachel as he stuffs his hands in his pockets.
"Let's just walk," she says succinctly. She continues to cling to his arm as the head down the beach. "I wanted to talk to you about this summer."
"Okay..."
"There's no denying that you and I make a good team. We have the most influential voices in the glee club... mostly because mine's louder, but the point is that when we agree on something, the rest of the group seems to go along with it."
Finn stops walking, and Rachel chooses to stop rather than let go of his arm. "Rachel, what's this about?"
She tosses her hair back and purses her lips before confidently saying, "I think it'd be in our best interests to get the glee club together at least once a week all summer." She's got that look and the posture that she's always had just before Finn goes along with whatever she says, but it's not having any effect on him today.
He shakes his arm free of her grasp and continues to walk down the beach. "I dunno, Rachel, nobody's gonna be up for that, and with people doing summer jobs and vacations, it'd be really hard to schedule a time when everybody could even show up."
"Finn," Rachel begins, and Finn shudders to think what's gonna follow in that tone, "this is my senior year. Do you know what that means? It means it is my last chance to bring home that Nationals trophy. Our last chance. Doesn't that mean anything to you?"
Not really. "Sure it does, Rachel, but I don't see how meeting all summer is gonna do any good. We barely get anything done when we're meeting five times a week with a supervisor. What makes you think we'd do better during summer vacation?"
"Because... because practice makes perfect! And we could even give someone different a solo every week, that should drive attendance. If I talk to my dads, I bet they'd be willing to bake something for us every week, and then there'd even be free food!"
Finn sighs. He knows this conversation won't be over until Rachel gets something she wants. He turns to head back toward the beach house and says, "Look, I still don't think it's a good idea. No matter what you tell them, the group isn't gonna want to take a break from their time off to prepare solos or plan a setlist. But if you pitch them the idea, then I'll agree to come."
She's silent for a long time, which is never a good sign. "But don't you want to get other people to come? I mean, it'd be awkward if it was just you and me singing duets all summer."
"That's not-- Wait, why would it be awkward?" Finn says, catching up with the rest of her statement. He sighs and starts walking faster down the beach. He's ready to be done with this conversation. "Listen, I know you like to feel like you have the upper hand in everything, but it's been a while since you made your choice, and I've moved on."
"Don't be mad," she says quietly. "I just... really want to win next year. I'll do whatever it takes."
Finn smiles at her. "I know. It's what I admire about you. And I'll back you up, but when everybody starts to argue, it's on you to convince them. Deal?"
Her answering smile is genuine, and Finn feels good for having caused it. "Deal."
******
Thanks to his lie, Finn doesn't get Sam all to himself until late into the night. It's fun to play Smash Brothers with Mike Chang and whoever else is willing to play against them, but all he can think about is how he's itching to get his hands on his boyfriend. He has a boyfriend; that's so weird.
With everyone now gone to bed, they have to be extra careful to be quiet. Sam locks the door and flips off the light, and the next thing he knows Sam is climbing on top of him in the dark, whispering, "Hi."
"Hi," Finn answers. He waits for his eyes to adjust a little bit, enough so he can see Sam's smile, and then he pulls Sam in for a kiss.
Things get heated pretty quickly, with Sam's hands rucking up his shirt to get at skin and his tongue moving in just the right way to pull a moan from Finn if he wasn't taking extra special care not to make noise. He squirms a little under Sam, unconsciously looking for some friction.
This is usually the part where Sam stops, but tonight, he just makes a quiet noise and goes in for a deeper kiss. He shifts so Finn can feel how hard he is against his leg. It's hot, but it's too much too soon, and Finn pulls back abruptly.
Even in the dark, Sam looks wrecked, and a little disoriented. "Sorry," Finn says quickly. "I just uh..."
"No, it's okay," Sam says, getting it. He takes a deep, shuddering breath and then slowly extricates himself from Finn's grasp.
He stretches out next to Finn, no longer touching, and Finn takes a long moment to curse himself in every way he can think of. He'd thought he was ready to do whatever with Sam, but apparently not. "Sorry," he says again.
"Me too," Sam says, but Finn doesn't know what he has to be sorry for. "This is new for me too, it's just... it's really hard to stop with you."
They're quiet for a long time, with Finn waiting to cool off and Sam probably doing the same. Finn's mind starts to wander to thoughts of the summer and how he's gonna spend his time. He wishes they didn't ever have to leave this house.
He turns his head on the pillow to look at Sam. "We should go out next week."
Sam turns toward him. "That'd be cool. Where?"
"The movies maybe? Kurt told me that X-Men movie was really good, which is a pretty bold statement coming from him."
"Wow, yeah. How'd he even see it? He told me he only goes to a theater with an actual stage."
Finn laughs. "I think the Warblers had a lot to do with it. You interested?"
The house creaks suddenly, and they both go quiet, realizing they hadn't been talking quite in a whisper. As they listen for anyone potentially awake, Sam turns and takes Finn's hand, squeezing it. "Yeah, definitely interested," he whispers.
Finn smiles and sits up so he can kiss him properly. "I guess we should go to bed."
"Yeah," Sam says, then contradicts himself by fisting his hand in Finn's shirt and pulling him in for another kiss. After a moment, though, he lets him go. "Goodnight."
******
The next day, the first sound Finn hears is a consistent banging, loud and sudden enough to make him jump. He makes an unearthly noise and opens his eyes, realizing after a second that it's someone at his bedroom door.
Rachel's voice carries through the door. "Finn, wake up! It's practically noon and I need your help with my speech to the group."
Finn drops his head back on the pillow and curls further into Sam, tilting his forehead against the back of his neck.
Sam mumbles something unintelligible that pretty accurately sums up Finn's feelings on the matter.
Meanwhile, she's still pounding on the door and speaking loudly, demanding a response.
"I'm still asleep, Rachel! Go away, I'll come find you later. When I'm awake."
"I want to give my proposal as soon as possible, Finn, and I need your help."
"Great," he says. "I'll come find you."
They hear her huff before adding, "I'm coming back!" She waits a few seconds, but when Finn doesn't say anything else, they can hear her stomp off in annoyance.
Finn sighs heavily, mumbling his displeasure at being woken up against the back of Sam's neck. The words don't really come out right, but Sam hums in agreement all the same.
"I was having such a nice dream, too," Sam mumbles, rolling over onto his back. His hair is sticking up all over the place, and he looks up at Finn with a sleepy smile. It's becoming a problem how hard Finn has fallen for him.
"Yeah?" Finn sits up a bit to lean over him. "Featuring anyone I know?"
"Something like that," Sam says, reaching for him. It only takes a few seconds for Finn to stop worrying about morning breath and just enjoy the kiss.
"Hey," Sam says, "you know that one polo shirt you have? The one that you always pop the collar on, no matter how ridiculous it looks?"
"It looks cool like that," Finn says defensively.
Sam smiles. "Do you have it with you?"
Finn thinks about it. He'd kind of thrown random clothes in his bag when he was packing, but he thinks he'd have seen it by now if it was there. "I don't think so. Why?"
Sam reaches out to trace a line across the side of Finn's neck, making Finn shudder. "Because you seem to really like it when I pay attention to your neck, and I'm kinda really good at giving hickeys."
Finn swallows thickly. "Oh."
"Yeah," Sam says, smirking. "Guess we'll have to save it for after we get home."
"I could wear a bandaid?" Finn tries, but the answering laugh from Sam probably means that's a no.
"Promise it'll be worth the wait," Sam says before curling his hand around the back of Finn's neck and pulling him back down. His fingers trace patterns over Finn's neck as they kiss, and Finn does his best to return the favor by slipping his hand under Sam's shirt, mapping out the smooth skin there.
Rachel's voice shows up again out of nowhere. "Listen, Finn, I know you like to sleep in, but--oh."
Finn doesn't even realize her voice is coming from a different side of the room, but Sam freezes up and pushes him away, and before he has time to be properly hurt, Finn realizes she's standing in the room.
"Jeez, Rachel, don't you knock?" Finn says, moving far away from Sam and pulling the covers up, as if that's gonna make a difference. She came in through the bathroom door, which just makes Finn even angrier.
She's looking away, Finn guesses out of politeness, but it isn't doing anything to help her case. "Sorry, I thought--"
"You didn't think, you never think about anyone but yourself," Finn bites out. "Did you even--"
"Finn, hey," Sam says softly, touching Finn's arm under the covers. "Don't."
Finn looks at him and then stops to think about what he's doing. Shouting at Rachel will only draw attention. He takes a deep breath and says calmly, "Come in, and shut the door."
"I-I didn't mean to intrude, I--"
"Just do it," Sam says, shooting her a look.
She does as he says, and then there's a long, awkward pause. Finn has no idea what to say.
"So, you guys are together," Rachel finally says, just the slightest hint of a question in her voice.
Finn looks at Sam to find him already looking back, and Finn can feel his mouth tilting up into a smile. "Yeah," they say at the same time.
"Can we trust you to keep this a secret?" Finn asks. "It's not something we're ashamed of. We just don't want everyone to know yet."
She nods. "Of course."
"No, but can we actually trust you. Like you won't threaten to out us if we don't support your Summer Glee Project or whatever random idea you have next."
She looks properly apologetic. "I won't, I promise. It's... it's not my place." Finn remembers suddenly that she's got two gay dads. Maybe this is one thing they can trust her on.
"What's this summer project I keep hearing about?" Sam asks.
Rachel lights up and launches into her explanation, and Finn's just grateful for the change of subject.
"That sounds great," Sam says when she's done giving the details.
Finn's eyebrows shoot up. "Really?"
"Yeah. I'm up for anything that's away from work and outta the house."
"See?" Rachel says. "Not everyone wants to sit around their house all summer."
"That's not what I said," Finn defends, feeling a little let down by Sam's response without knowing why. "And I said I'd back you up."
"We'll both back you up," Sam says.
"Thanks!" Rachel says with a smile. "Oh, you've just given me a great idea for how to pitch it to the group! I've gotta go write it down before I forget." And just like that, she's disappearing back through the bathroom door. After a few seconds, they hear her voice out in the hall. "Expect a formal announcement at dinner!"
Finn buries his face in his pillow and screams into it. It's gonna be a long day.
******
As they're making lunch, Sam cuts Finn off in the middle of a story about his skateboarding past because Rachel comes downstairs. "Hold that thought," he says, then catches Rachel before she goes outside.
She seems pleased by whatever he's got to say, and Finn tries not to take it personally. He'd thought Sam was amused by his story, but apparently he was just being polite.
He finishes making his sandwich and takes it to the couch with a sigh, turning on the TV. When Sam joins him again, he pretends to be engrossed in the show. It works until it goes to commercial break, and then he's stuck.
"So, what happened next with the skateboarding? You can't leave me in suspense, dude. I gotta hear the exciting conclusion."
Finn shrugs. "Just lost interest I guess." He takes a huge bite of his sandwich and stares hard at the TV, as if he's mesmerized by the toothpaste commercial.
Sam's knee bumps against his slightly. "Something's bothering you." he says. "What's up?"
Finn glances at him. He wants to be annoyed that Sam can read him so well, but he can't manage it. "I dunno, I just... Why are you so into Rachel's idea?"
Sam quirks an eyebrow, looking confused by the question. "I told you. It'll be a good excuse to get out of the house. Plus," he drops his voice, even though no one's around, "I'll get to see you."
"Yeah, but... I thought maybe you'd wanna 'get out of the house' and come visit me."
"Ah," Sam says, looking away. Finn gets a sinking feeling. "Here's the deal. My parents are kinda going crazy about college right now. They already want me to be filling out scholarship applications, and they think pretty much every waking moment that I'm not working, I should be doing something else I can put on my resume. I can come visit you sometimes, but if I do it too much, they'll just accuse me of being lazy and playing video games with my friends all the time instead of doing something meaningful."
Finn's stomach drops out. So much for dating all summer. "Oh."
"Yeah," Sam says, obviously unhappy. "But I've got a plan. I can just tell 'em Rachel's glee thing is twice a week - once at her place, once at yours. Then I'll have an excuse to come visit you every week."
"Oh," Finn says again, his mouth curving into a smile. "Cool."
"I thought so," Sam says, smiling now. They return their attention to the TV as it comes back from commercial, but after a few seconds, Sam adds in a hushed tone, "I think it's kinda hot that you want me all to yourself all summer."
Finn looks at him, the side of his mouth quirking up as his gaze drops to Sam's lips, but then they hear the sound of the sliding door opening and snap back to watching TV.
It turns out that it's only Mercedes, who walks up behind them and says quietly, "I wasn't kidding about y'all being worse than Kurt and Blaine."
"We'll take that as a compliment," Sam says, smiling and holding his hand up for a fistbump. Finn bumps it, exaggerating the resulting 'explosion' and smiling when Sam does the same.
Mercedes just rolls her eyes and laughs at them as she heads upstairs. Finn waits until she goes around the corner to say, "We are the worst secret-keepers ever."
"I know," Sam says. "No more private flirting in places where we can't act on it."
Finn frowns. "But..."
Sam shoves at his shoulder. "Shut up and eat your lunch."
Finn smiles and does as he's told, knowing they'll be heading upstairs for a few minutes before going outside.
******
Rachel makes her pitch at dinner, incorporating Sam's idea for competitions, with prizes, that are voted on out loud where you can't vote for yourself. Different themes every week, including one for dancing, same sex duets, opposite sex duets, ballads, and even a couple where Rachel won't compete, "so the rest of you will have a shot." Despite her last little arrogant comment, people seem into the idea, all except for Santana.
"What's in it for me, huh?" she says bitingly. "I'd have to put up with you every week, and it's not like I'd ever have a fair shot at winning. And I'm not gonna kiss everybody's ass just so you'll all vote for me to win some cupcakes or whatever-the-fuck."
Brittany says her name softly and reaches out to place her hand on Santana's leg. She smiles when Santana looks at her and says, "I think it could be fun."
Finn's pretty sure that's the end of the argument. Santana tends to do whatever Brittany says, especially if she says it like that. But today something's different, because Santana pushes her away. "Why do you always have to take their side, huh?" she says harshly before launching into a rant that incorporates lots of things Finn doesn't understand and at least a couple references to making out. Everyone's eyebrows are raised for at least part of her speech.
At the end, she makes a frustrated noise and mutters something in Spanish before pushing away from the table and stomping upstairs. After an awkward pause, Rachel clears her throat and says, "So I'll see you all next Thursday?"
******
Later that night, Tina wins the best-4-out-of-7 rock-paper-scissors match and decides to watch Bridget Jones' Diary. Thanks to Kurt, Finn has (unfortunately) seen it, so he slips out onto the deck as they're starting it up. He slips his shoes off and steps down onto the sand, now cool from the sun going down. He doesn't realize anyone else is out there with him until a voice speaks up.
"Watch it, Big Foot, there are killer crabs that scurry across the sand after dark. I hear they love the toes of awkward giants."
"Santana?" Finn says, squinting to find her in the dark.
"I was thinking about going to sleep at Uncle Rob's place, but I still haven't decided if I trust you losers in my parents' house without my supervision." As his eyes adjust to the dark, he finally finds her sitting beside the old tire they found last Monday with her legs crossed in front of her.
Finn drops down next to her, knowing if he asked permission that she wouldn't give it. "I'm pretty sure you have the power to dictate where everybody sleeps. Why don't you just switch with somebody for the night?"
She stays quiet for a minute, sifting sand between her fingers. "Nobody gets to sleep next to Brittany but me."
Well, there's something Finn can identify with. "Are you and her--" Santana snarls, and Finn cuts himself off. "Hey, don't kill me, I'm just asking. Sam and me... we're kinda..."
"Fucking?"
"Dating," Finn says, cutting his eyes at her. The effect is lost in the dark.
"Yeah, but are you fooling around and calling it dating or is he actually your sugar pie honeybunch?" she says, her voice going icky sweet at the end.
He knows she's making fun of him, but he doesn't care. It gives him kind of a thrill to say, "He's actually my boyfriend. We're going out next week."
That shuts her up for a minute. "Why are you telling me this? Haven't you heard I'm the number one saboteur of McKinley High relationships?"
"Number one what?"
"I ruin people's relationships for cheap thrills. Don't you listen to the rumors?"
"You don't, though." Santana snorts, but Finn doesn't let that stop him. "Well, maybe you have before, but only when it benefits you. I, uh, I'm not exactly innocent of that either."
"Well well well. Finn Hudson admitting to his flaws. I never thought I'd see the day."
Finn blushes, wondering if he should even reply to that. After a few seconds, he says, "I'm not perfect, but I'm trying to get it right."
Santana's voice is serious when she speaks up again. "Sam's not really a closet case, you know. We'd only been dating a week before he told me he was into dudes as well as ladies. He's gonna want to tell people."
"Yeah," Finn says. He's started sifting sand through his hands, now. It's oddly soothing. "We've already told a few people. And I think... I dunno, it wouldn't be so bad to tell everyone in Glee. They all support Kurt; why wouldn't they support Sam and me?"
"Yeah, but you're not gonna be able to tell just the Glee Club," Santana points out. "Word's gonna get out, and then you'll lose that precious popularity you love so much."
Finn shrugs. "They already say I'm gay anyway." He narrows his eyes at her. "You seem to have given this a lot of thought."
"No shit, Sherlock," she mutters under her breath.
"Hang on, so you and Brittany really are--"
"Don't," Santana cuts in, "say it. And anyway, we're not. She won't... be with me until I'm willing to tell everyone."
Finn just looks at her for a minute. She's turned away from him slightly, her head ducked down and her hair falling in her face, and it's by far the most vulnerable Finn's ever seen her. "Why are you telling me this?"
"I don't know, you started it. Why are you even talking to me? No one else is." She tosses a shell down the beach, and Finn watches it disappear into the dark.
"That's because they're all afraid you'll yell at them next. If Brittany's not safe, none of us are."
"Which begs the question, why are you here?"
"I figure I'm probably past due for a Santana lecture, especially after the way I acted earlier this week during Inception."
"Yeah, what was the story there?" she asks, shifting around to stretch her legs out in front of her, now turned toward Finn.
He raises his eyebrows. "Do you actually wanna know?"
"I wouldn't be wasting my breath if I didn't," she says, and Finn can imagine her eyeroll even if he can't quite see it.
So he tells her the story, not sugarcoating any of the details. It's actually the most he's told anyone about how he really felt, because the call to Kurt and Blaine the morning after had been more 'help me' and 'tell me what to do' than 'this is how I feel,' and he hasn't had reason to get into it since. "And I dunno," he says, finally getting to his point, "I guess I figured out I'd rather be a loser with him than popular and lonely."
"Fuck," Santana says, throwing down her handful of sand. She stands up and strides toward back toward the house with purpose, leaving Finn by himself.
"Hey, where are you going?"
"To make amends!" she shouts over her shoulder. "If you can work out your stupid shit, then I definitely can."
Finn scrambles to his feet, not wanting to miss this, but all Santana does once inside is demand Brittany come talk to her outside. He kind of hangs out in the doorway, but Santana glares and points inside, so he gets the impression he's not invited to this part.
They come back inside a bit later with their pinkies locked, but Santana doesn't make eye contact with Finn. He still smiles to himself and nudges his knee up against Sam's, happy that their story helped someone else. Sam sends him a questioning look, but Finn just smiles and puts his hand on Sam's knee. Sam blushes and tries hard to focus on the movie, and that just makes Finn smile harder. Yep, best beach trip ever.
******
Loading up the car the next day is depressing. Finn wishes he and Sam could just stay here all summer. No college applications, no jobs, no dealing with family. Just him and Sam with no one to bother them.
Unfortunately, wishing doesn't do him any good, and Sam has a shift at the pizza place tonight, so they have to head out soon. Finn pulls the trunk shut with a sigh.
He puts on a fake smile and looks at Sam, who's just finished helping Rachel with her bags. "Ready to go?"
Sam kinda frowns and reaches into his pockets. "I think I left my phone upstairs. Can you go check?"
"Sure," Finn says, jogging back into the house. Santana gives him a look when she passes him on the stairs, and he quickly tells her, "Sam forgot his phone."
She mumbles something in response, but Finn doesn't catch it. He looks under the now well-made bed, checks the nightstand, looks in the dresser drawer, but he doesn't see a phone.
"You've got five minutes!" Santana calls from downstairs. Finn wonders if he should unmake the bed and check under the covers, but then Sam walks in.
"Five minutes," Sam says, sliding the door shut behind him.
"Hey, I checked under the bed, but--"
Sam interrupts him by wrapping his hand around Finn's neck, pulling him down and kissing him like they've got more than five minutes.
Finn takes a second to breathe when he pulls back. "Not that I don't appreciate this, but shouldn't we be using our time to look for your phone?"
"My phone is in the car," Sam says, inching his other hand under Finn's shirt. "I was just tired of you looking like someone just told you your puppy ran away."
Finn takes a second to process that and then smiles. "Well in that case," he says, backing Sam up against the door. He kisses him lazily, wishing they had more time. Who knows when they'll get a chance to do this again?
"Just because we're going home doesn't mean we're gonna be over, you know," Sam says, reading Finn's mind. Finn would probably frown if Sam hadn't moved back in for another kiss.
"I know, it's just... it's not gonna be the same back home. We won't get to hang out as often." He doesn't say, 'we won't get to sleep in the same bed,' even though that's probably the worst part.
"Yeah," Sam says with a sigh. "But we'll hang out as much as we can. And my cousin offered to help me out with the phone bill, so I'll be able to get a decent cell phone plan. We can call each other as much as we want."
"Cool," Finn says. Maybe if he talks to Sam right before bed, he won't lie awake all night.
"Plus, I'm kinda lookin' forward to, y'know, actually going out next week. Kickass mutants with kickass abilities!" he says, punching the air next to Finn. "And I guess you'll be there too."
Finn rolls his eyes. "Shut up and come here," Finn says, pulling him in for another kiss. Sam is still smiling when their lips meet.
"Touching," Santana's voice cuts in, "but your five minutes are up."
Sam jumps back, but Finn doesn't let him get very far. "It's okay, dude. She already knows."
Sam stares at him with his mouth hanging open. It's a tempting look. He turns back to Santana and says, "And you say I have a big mouth!"
"Listen, as much as I enjoy providing the accommodations for your sexual liberation, I gots to get home before my bratty little sister lays official claim to my room."
Sam blatantly ignores her by leaning in to kiss Finn one more time, but then he smiles cheekily and says, "Okay."
"Whoa, where'd everybody go?" Finn says when they get downstairs. The driveway is empty of every car but his and Santana's, with Brittany asleep in the passenger's seat.
"Unlike me," Santana says, "they all bought your shitty cover story about the phone. I told 'em to go on, that I'd help you look. You're welcome." She closes the door behind them as they walk outside, cursing when the deadbolt won't turn all the way.
"Need some help?" Sam offers, but she ignores him and keeps trying. Eventually, she successfully turns it, shooting Sam a superior look.
"Oh, the force is strong with this one," Sam says in one of his many voices. Finn tries not to laugh out loud.
"You are dating a huge dork," Santana tells Finn, looking unimpressed.
"I know," Finn says, taking Sam's hand and looking at him fondly. Sam looks surprised for a second before smiling and ducking his head. Santana scoffs, but Finn ignores her and smiles wide at Sam. "Come on, let's go home."
THE END
******
The next day is really strange. Finn has a fantastic morning, but after he leaves his room, he barely even sees Sam for the longest time. The couple of times he does, Sam runs off to do something else. By lunchtime, Finn's pretty sure Sam's avoiding him. Finn goes to great pains to save him a seat on the couch where they can eat their sandwiches and watch the Daily Show, but Sam opts to eat at the table with Puck, where he can't even see the TV.
For the greater part of the afternoon, Finn pretends it's fine. He goes out of his way to get the full story from Mercedes about why she's mad at Lauren (something about clothes and singing that he doesn't understand, but he tries), and he even volunteers to drive Brittany and Santana to that souvenir shop Brittany's been dying to go to.
When they get back from their outing, Brittany comes to talk to him alone.
"Why are you so sad?"
"What? I'm not sad," Finn says, giving her a smile to prove his point. "See?"
She hands him one of the many keychains she'd bought at the souvenir shop. "The turtles want you to be happy."
Finn stares at the turtle keychain as she walks away, oddly touched.
He decides that she's right; he is sad. Fortunately it's his night to make dinner with Sam, so while they're preparing it, Finn brings up the subject.
"Hey, are you mad at me for some reason?"
Sam gives him a blank look. His voice is quiet when he says, "Dude, we made out for like an hour this morning. When did I ever give you the impression I was mad at you?"
Finn feels a rush of relief, but he still feels slightly unsettled. "Just, you've been avoiding me all day."
Sam is quiet for a minute as he focuses on cutting up lettuce for tacos. "I kinda figured you'd want to be discreet."
"Discreet?"
"Yeah, you know, keep things quiet so nobody figures us out."
"I know what discreet means," Finn says, or well, he'd had a good idea. "What makes you think I'd want that?"
Sam stops chopping, and Finn can feel his eyes on him. His tone is disbelieving when he says, "You don't?"
Finn shrugs one shoulder briefly. "I don't wanna go crazy, but, I dunno, I was kinda lookin' forward to," he stops and lowers his voice to more of a whisper, "being able to flirt. Without... thinkin' you might punch me in the face any second for it." He chances a glance at Sam, and he's almost smiling, which Finn takes as a good sign. "Besides, it's more likely they'd notice you avoiding me after everything we've done together all week."
"But what if they figure it out? You know how everyone in Glee likes to talk."
Finn shrugs. "Let 'em talk. They never said anything before. And if they do, we'll deal with it then." He sets the food aside and turns to face Sam, ready for whatever reaction.
Sam smiles wider than Finn has ever seen him smile. Then he seems to realize he's doing it, because he bites his lip and looks back at the lettuce. He doesn't look at Finn when he murmurs, "You should go upstairs like you're looking for something we bought for dinner." Sam glances at him to make sure he's listening, then back at the lettuce. "When I'm done here, I'll come up and get you."
"What am I looking for?" Finn asks, confused.
"Nothing," Sam says. "I just really want to kiss you, and I don't think I should with Puck and Lauren sitting right over there."
Finn makes it up the stairs in record time.
******
The next couple of days are great, now that Finn and Sam are on the same page. Finn's nights and 'mornings' (more like afternoons, but whenever he wakes up) are the best parts of his day, and the parts in between aren't half bad either.
They have to do some quick thinking on Sunday night after Lauren leaves and frees up a bedroom. Luckily Sam is quick with a response, saying he already promised Mercedes she could have the room so she wouldn't have to share with Rachel.
Finn immediately goes off to inform Mercedes of the lie, and in the process, he has to tell her about Sam. He's nervous about outing them all night until he gets a chance to tell Sam, who is luckily completely fine with it.
"Are you sure?" Finn asks. "I didn't think we wanted anyone to know, I mean, besides Kurt."
Sam looks at him for a long time, as if he's trying to figure something out. Finn tries not to squirm under his gaze. "Mercedes is cool. She won't tell anyone."
Finn breathes a sigh of relief. "Okay, cool."
******
Everything goes smoothly after that, until Tuesday night.
Everybody's crowded into the living room area watching Inception. Sam's apparently seen it more times than he can remember, and Finn still doesn't get it and probably never will, so he's more focused on how Sam is pressed right up next to him, even closer than usual because they're sharing the couch with Rachel. It's really dark, and they're off to the side, so Finn doesn't think much of it when Sam puts his hand on Finn's knee. He smiles and goes to bump his knee against Sam's, but then he looks around and Brittany is looking right at them, or more specifically, right at Sam's hand.
Panicking, Finn says, "Dude, what are you doing?" and pulls his knee away.
Sam looks at him, shocked, as several others look around to find out what's going on.
"Sorry," Sam says quickly. He makes a pained face and adds, "Leg cramp. Had to grab on to something to keep my mind off it."
Everyone is staring, but they soon lose interest and go back to the movie. Mercedes looks confused, though, and Santana just keeps glaring at Finn.
After a few minutes, Sam takes off outside. Santana then raises her eyebrows at Finn in a way that somehow threatens violence, so Finn goes after him.
"What the hell, Finn?" Sam says as soon as Finn finds him.
"Look, I'm sorry, but Brittany was looking right at us. If I just ignored you, she would have known something was up."
"Jesus, Finn. Have you ever made a decision in your life and actually stuck with it?"
Finn feels anger flare up in his chest. "What's that supposed to mean?"
"You just told me that you wanted me to keep up with the flirting, and now you make a scene when I do just that? You made me look like an idiot, Finn. You could've just pushed my hand away and no one would have noticed, but instead you made a huge deal about it and called me out in front of everyone."
He's got a point, and Finn still feels really guilty that he caused a scene. "I know, I didn't mean to. I just panicked, so I did the opposite of what I wanted to do. It was stupid, and I'm sorry." Sam looks a little bit less angry at that. "But we're gonna have to keep things quiet, you know, while we're dating. I mean, at McKinley--"
"Hold up," Sam interrupts. He looks sadder than he did before, but just as angry. "We're not dating, Finn. Dating requires actually thinking about someone other than yourself, and wanting to be together outside of just Santana's parents' bedroom. We may be more than friends, but we're definitely not dating."
Finn swallows. He doesn't like the sound of that. "I'm not--"
"And you know, I was prepared for that. I always figured, if we were ever together, that it'd be in secret. And that was fine. But you told me it wasn't like that. You told me you weren't ashamed of me. So what, that was a lie? It's perfectly fine for me to come on to you in public until someone notices, and then I'm repulsive?"
"Of course not, Sam--"
"Save it. I really like you, Finn. You're probably my greatest weakness. The Green Goblin would probably capture you to get me to do his will. But I can't handle you changing your mind all the time about us. I'd rather not be together at all than get jerked around every day by whether or not you want people to know."
Finn doesn't know what to say. He feels like a jerk, but he's not ready to just... come out, not to everyone.
Sam sighs, seemingly taking Finn's silence for agreement. "I'll sleep in Lauren's old room tonight. Mercedes won't mind switching back. Get back to me if you ever decide what you want."
"Wait, Sam," Finn says, grabbing Sam's wrist before he can turn around. "I really am sorry. Just... This is all new. I need time to figure it out. And maybe I don't deserve it, but... don't give up on me yet?"
Based on his expression, Sam seems to be torn between smiling and looking even angrier. The fact that Finn can tell that just by looking makes his chest hurt. "Just make sure whatever you decide is for real," Sam finally says, sounding sad. "And for the record, this is exactly why I wanted to take things slow." He pulls his wrist back, and this time Finn lets him go.
It takes a long time for him to fall asleep that night.
******
Finn has never been more nervous in his life, though that might be the anxiety talking. He stays huddled against the warm metal and stares at his phone, trying not to think about where he is or what he'll have to do. Instead he thinks about Sam, and how Mercedes might be handling the situation right now, and how long does it take to walk down the beach? What's taking so long?
But then he hears voices, and god, they're so far away, but he wouldn't hear anything if they weren't as close as they could be. He stares at his phone some more, willing it to ring, and this time it does.
When he answers, all Mercedes says is, "It's all on you now, Romeo," before handing the phone over to Sam.
"Hello?" Sam says, sounding confused.
"Sam, hey."
"Finn, what's going on?" Sam sounds tired. Finn knows how that is. He never thought sleeping alone would be a problem before this.
"I thought about it," Finn says sincerely. "I really did. It's all I could think about for the last twenty-four hours, and I even talked to Kurt about it, and I'm sure. I do want to date you."
"That's... great," Sam says, still confused. "Why are you telling me this on the phone? Where are you?"
"I'm... up here."
There's a long pause, and Finn waits for Sam to get it. He has to get it, because Finn doesn't know how he's ever going to move. "You didn't."
"Yeah," Finn says, trying not to think too hard about it. "That thing you said about your greatest weakness, it made me think about fears and like, maybe there are worse things than a few jerks giving me a hard time at school."
"So you climbed the water tower?!" Sam says, incredulous.
"Yeah, I dunno. It seemed like a good idea at the time. Didn't Mario climb towers for Peach?"
Sam's laugh seems to surprise even him. "Why do I gotta be the princess in this scenario?"
Finn smiles. "Dude, you made me Mary Jane in the last one."
"Uh, actually Gwen Stacy, but... fair enough." He sounds like he's smiling, which gives Finn enough confidence to go on.
"Look, I don't know if I'm ready to tell everyone yet, but that doesn't mean it has to be a complete secret. We can go out to places in like, Lima Heights, or over near Dalton, where we won't run into people. Maybe you can come over and meet my mom and Burt. And then when the summer's over, maybe I'll be ready to tell everybody. We can start by telling the rest of the glee club and work our way out from there."
"God, Finn, can you please shut up long enough for me to climb up there and see you?"
Finn's heart jumps in his chest. "Sure," he says, but Sam has already ended the call.
It takes forever for Sam to climb up. Finn keeps having horrible flashes of thought, like what if Sam fell and he didn't know and he would be stuck up here unable to help and unable to climb down. The what-ifs only get stronger as time goes on, until finally he has to shout, "You're still out there, right?"
"I'm almost there, dude, try not to have a panic attack."
Sam goes straight to Finn when he gets to the top, assuring him that he's okay. "How in the world did you make that climb?"
"It was fine at first, and then when I started freaking out, it was scarier to think of climbing down than to keep going up. I couldn't look down."
"You are absolutely insane," Sam says, and kisses him. Finn makes a little noise of enjoyment, followed quickly by a low moan as Sam's tongue reacquaints itself with Finn's own. He finds some of his anxiety melting away as his thoughts focus in on Sam, pulling him closer and deepening the kiss. When they pull away, breathing heavily, Finn can almost forget that he's on a rickety platform four stories above the ground. Almost.
"I was gonna stand at the edge in a big romantic gesture to wave at you when you answered the phone, but I was afraid if I looked down, I'd pass out and plummet to my death."
"That wouldn't have been very romantic," Sam agrees, smiling a bit giddily. "Can I say my part now?"
Finn nods.
Sam settles in next to him, propped up against the tower and as far from the edge as possible. It's quiet for a few seconds. "I'm trying to think of a less embarrassing way to say that I've liked you for ages, but I'm not coming up with anything."
"That's not embarrassing," Finn says. Trapping yourself on top of a water tower just for a stupid gesture, now that's embarrassing.
Sam chuckles. "Well, it was when I thought you were straight. But anyway, in all that time, I never really expected you to, like, become some different person. I like that you generally try to avoid drama and that you care about how people see you and that you speak up for the people that matter to you. I guess I'm just saying, you don't need to change who you are for me, just... make room for me. To be honest, the thought of everyone at school knowing scares the shit out of me too, but I never want to lie about it. If you're my boyfriend, I want to be proud of the fact."
Finn looks hopeful. "So you do... you wanna be my boyfriend?"
"Yeah," Sam says, dopey smile intact. "But, I mean. Only if you're ready for that. The whole point of us going slow was that I didn't want to scare you off."
"So if I promise not to be scared off, we can go fast?" Finn asks excitedly.
Sam laughs, resting his hand on Finn's leg. "Not while we have seven nosy neighbors sleeping so close by."
Finn feels a rush of feeling - a mixture of excitement, anxiety, and arousal. He'd only been joking, but the thought of actually doing some of that stuff with Sam... it's new, but not unpleasant. Finn should have plenty of time to familiarize himself with the possibilities before they happen.
"Jesus, Finn," Sam says, biting his lip and looking away from Finn. "You gotta stop looking like that."
"Like what?" Finn asks, feeling his face heat up.
"Like I could make out with you at the top of this water tower for three hours until we're both sunburnt and hungry from missing dinner and you wouldn't even care."
Finn swallows. "And what's wrong with that?"
Sam claps him on the shoulder before standing up. Finn's stomach lurches just thinking about it. "Sunburns hurt, and if you're up here until dark, we'll never get you down."
Sam offers his hand, but Finn just stares at it warily for several seconds, unmoving.
"If you stand up, you can kiss me."
Finn takes his hand, but he takes his time standing up. When he does, Sam wraps his arms around him firmly and kisses him like he means it.
Finn's breath is coming fast as they pull away, and Sam smiles mischievously. "There's more where that came from if you climb down."
Finn feels a rush of exhilaration in combination with a twist of his gut. "Uh."
"Deal?" Sam says, taking a step away. He doesn't let go, though, and gives Finn a second to think.
"What if... what if I climb down first, and you stay right above me so I don't have to look down?"
Sam smirks. "You just want an excuse to stare at my ass."
Finn shrugs. "It is a nice side effect."
"Deal," Sam says, and Finn takes a deep breath.
******
Through lots of cursing and assurances from Sam, Finn manages to survive the climb down. They even have time for a proper makeout session before they have to get ready and head over to Santana's uncle's place for dinner.
Their house is amazing. Finn can't help but stare at all the crazy things they have hanging on their wall, and the stories behind all of the things are even better. In between everyone else, Finn asks question after fascinated question all through dinner, all while Sam's hand rests comfortably on his knee under the table. He realizes halfway through dinner that the guy that's not Santana's uncle isn't just a roommate; the two of them are actually a couple. No one else seems surprised by this, and likewise they don't seem to have a problem with it. It's kind of the best night ever.
Finn is all geared up to get back to their room and talk about how amazing it was with Sam (maybe with some making out in between, if he's honest), but on the short walk back to their house, Rachel stops him. "Why don't you and I go for a walk?" she asks, all doe eyes and a big smile.
"Uh," Finn says, "I uh, I promised Sam that we'd duke it out in Smash Brothers."
"He doesn't mind waiting though, do you Sam?" she asks, taking Finn's arm. Finn stares at her like she's crazy. She looks back with those big eyes and whispers, "We haven't had a chance to talk the whole time I've been here."
Yeah, because Finn's got nothing to say. He'd asked her out; she'd chosen Jesse. Not that he has a problem with that anymore. Now that he's had time and some distance, he's grateful that he didn't get back together with her. But he still does think of her as a friend, which is why he decides to go along with her. He sends an apologetic look to Sam and says, "I guess I have time for a short walk."
"It's cool," Sam says, holding his hand out for a fistbump. "I'll just get Mike Chang to teach me all his secrets while we wait on you," he says, going along with the lie.
With everyone now inside or close to it and Rachel standing on Finn's other side, Finn is able to take Sam's hand and squeeze it rather than taking the fistbump. He gets a soft, real smile from Sam in return before he heads inside, and it makes him kinda giddy. "Great, where are we walkin'?" he asks Rachel as he stuffs his hands in his pockets.
"Let's just walk," she says succinctly. She continues to cling to his arm as the head down the beach. "I wanted to talk to you about this summer."
"Okay..."
"There's no denying that you and I make a good team. We have the most influential voices in the glee club... mostly because mine's louder, but the point is that when we agree on something, the rest of the group seems to go along with it."
Finn stops walking, and Rachel chooses to stop rather than let go of his arm. "Rachel, what's this about?"
She tosses her hair back and purses her lips before confidently saying, "I think it'd be in our best interests to get the glee club together at least once a week all summer." She's got that look and the posture that she's always had just before Finn goes along with whatever she says, but it's not having any effect on him today.
He shakes his arm free of her grasp and continues to walk down the beach. "I dunno, Rachel, nobody's gonna be up for that, and with people doing summer jobs and vacations, it'd be really hard to schedule a time when everybody could even show up."
"Finn," Rachel begins, and Finn shudders to think what's gonna follow in that tone, "this is my senior year. Do you know what that means? It means it is my last chance to bring home that Nationals trophy. Our last chance. Doesn't that mean anything to you?"
Not really. "Sure it does, Rachel, but I don't see how meeting all summer is gonna do any good. We barely get anything done when we're meeting five times a week with a supervisor. What makes you think we'd do better during summer vacation?"
"Because... because practice makes perfect! And we could even give someone different a solo every week, that should drive attendance. If I talk to my dads, I bet they'd be willing to bake something for us every week, and then there'd even be free food!"
Finn sighs. He knows this conversation won't be over until Rachel gets something she wants. He turns to head back toward the beach house and says, "Look, I still don't think it's a good idea. No matter what you tell them, the group isn't gonna want to take a break from their time off to prepare solos or plan a setlist. But if you pitch them the idea, then I'll agree to come."
She's silent for a long time, which is never a good sign. "But don't you want to get other people to come? I mean, it'd be awkward if it was just you and me singing duets all summer."
"That's not-- Wait, why would it be awkward?" Finn says, catching up with the rest of her statement. He sighs and starts walking faster down the beach. He's ready to be done with this conversation. "Listen, I know you like to feel like you have the upper hand in everything, but it's been a while since you made your choice, and I've moved on."
"Don't be mad," she says quietly. "I just... really want to win next year. I'll do whatever it takes."
Finn smiles at her. "I know. It's what I admire about you. And I'll back you up, but when everybody starts to argue, it's on you to convince them. Deal?"
Her answering smile is genuine, and Finn feels good for having caused it. "Deal."
******
Thanks to his lie, Finn doesn't get Sam all to himself until late into the night. It's fun to play Smash Brothers with Mike Chang and whoever else is willing to play against them, but all he can think about is how he's itching to get his hands on his boyfriend. He has a boyfriend; that's so weird.
With everyone now gone to bed, they have to be extra careful to be quiet. Sam locks the door and flips off the light, and the next thing he knows Sam is climbing on top of him in the dark, whispering, "Hi."
"Hi," Finn answers. He waits for his eyes to adjust a little bit, enough so he can see Sam's smile, and then he pulls Sam in for a kiss.
Things get heated pretty quickly, with Sam's hands rucking up his shirt to get at skin and his tongue moving in just the right way to pull a moan from Finn if he wasn't taking extra special care not to make noise. He squirms a little under Sam, unconsciously looking for some friction.
This is usually the part where Sam stops, but tonight, he just makes a quiet noise and goes in for a deeper kiss. He shifts so Finn can feel how hard he is against his leg. It's hot, but it's too much too soon, and Finn pulls back abruptly.
Even in the dark, Sam looks wrecked, and a little disoriented. "Sorry," Finn says quickly. "I just uh..."
"No, it's okay," Sam says, getting it. He takes a deep, shuddering breath and then slowly extricates himself from Finn's grasp.
He stretches out next to Finn, no longer touching, and Finn takes a long moment to curse himself in every way he can think of. He'd thought he was ready to do whatever with Sam, but apparently not. "Sorry," he says again.
"Me too," Sam says, but Finn doesn't know what he has to be sorry for. "This is new for me too, it's just... it's really hard to stop with you."
They're quiet for a long time, with Finn waiting to cool off and Sam probably doing the same. Finn's mind starts to wander to thoughts of the summer and how he's gonna spend his time. He wishes they didn't ever have to leave this house.
He turns his head on the pillow to look at Sam. "We should go out next week."
Sam turns toward him. "That'd be cool. Where?"
"The movies maybe? Kurt told me that X-Men movie was really good, which is a pretty bold statement coming from him."
"Wow, yeah. How'd he even see it? He told me he only goes to a theater with an actual stage."
Finn laughs. "I think the Warblers had a lot to do with it. You interested?"
The house creaks suddenly, and they both go quiet, realizing they hadn't been talking quite in a whisper. As they listen for anyone potentially awake, Sam turns and takes Finn's hand, squeezing it. "Yeah, definitely interested," he whispers.
Finn smiles and sits up so he can kiss him properly. "I guess we should go to bed."
"Yeah," Sam says, then contradicts himself by fisting his hand in Finn's shirt and pulling him in for another kiss. After a moment, though, he lets him go. "Goodnight."
******
The next day, the first sound Finn hears is a consistent banging, loud and sudden enough to make him jump. He makes an unearthly noise and opens his eyes, realizing after a second that it's someone at his bedroom door.
Rachel's voice carries through the door. "Finn, wake up! It's practically noon and I need your help with my speech to the group."
Finn drops his head back on the pillow and curls further into Sam, tilting his forehead against the back of his neck.
Sam mumbles something unintelligible that pretty accurately sums up Finn's feelings on the matter.
Meanwhile, she's still pounding on the door and speaking loudly, demanding a response.
"I'm still asleep, Rachel! Go away, I'll come find you later. When I'm awake."
"I want to give my proposal as soon as possible, Finn, and I need your help."
"Great," he says. "I'll come find you."
They hear her huff before adding, "I'm coming back!" She waits a few seconds, but when Finn doesn't say anything else, they can hear her stomp off in annoyance.
Finn sighs heavily, mumbling his displeasure at being woken up against the back of Sam's neck. The words don't really come out right, but Sam hums in agreement all the same.
"I was having such a nice dream, too," Sam mumbles, rolling over onto his back. His hair is sticking up all over the place, and he looks up at Finn with a sleepy smile. It's becoming a problem how hard Finn has fallen for him.
"Yeah?" Finn sits up a bit to lean over him. "Featuring anyone I know?"
"Something like that," Sam says, reaching for him. It only takes a few seconds for Finn to stop worrying about morning breath and just enjoy the kiss.
"Hey," Sam says, "you know that one polo shirt you have? The one that you always pop the collar on, no matter how ridiculous it looks?"
"It looks cool like that," Finn says defensively.
Sam smiles. "Do you have it with you?"
Finn thinks about it. He'd kind of thrown random clothes in his bag when he was packing, but he thinks he'd have seen it by now if it was there. "I don't think so. Why?"
Sam reaches out to trace a line across the side of Finn's neck, making Finn shudder. "Because you seem to really like it when I pay attention to your neck, and I'm kinda really good at giving hickeys."
Finn swallows thickly. "Oh."
"Yeah," Sam says, smirking. "Guess we'll have to save it for after we get home."
"I could wear a bandaid?" Finn tries, but the answering laugh from Sam probably means that's a no.
"Promise it'll be worth the wait," Sam says before curling his hand around the back of Finn's neck and pulling him back down. His fingers trace patterns over Finn's neck as they kiss, and Finn does his best to return the favor by slipping his hand under Sam's shirt, mapping out the smooth skin there.
Rachel's voice shows up again out of nowhere. "Listen, Finn, I know you like to sleep in, but--oh."
Finn doesn't even realize her voice is coming from a different side of the room, but Sam freezes up and pushes him away, and before he has time to be properly hurt, Finn realizes she's standing in the room.
"Jeez, Rachel, don't you knock?" Finn says, moving far away from Sam and pulling the covers up, as if that's gonna make a difference. She came in through the bathroom door, which just makes Finn even angrier.
She's looking away, Finn guesses out of politeness, but it isn't doing anything to help her case. "Sorry, I thought--"
"You didn't think, you never think about anyone but yourself," Finn bites out. "Did you even--"
"Finn, hey," Sam says softly, touching Finn's arm under the covers. "Don't."
Finn looks at him and then stops to think about what he's doing. Shouting at Rachel will only draw attention. He takes a deep breath and says calmly, "Come in, and shut the door."
"I-I didn't mean to intrude, I--"
"Just do it," Sam says, shooting her a look.
She does as he says, and then there's a long, awkward pause. Finn has no idea what to say.
"So, you guys are together," Rachel finally says, just the slightest hint of a question in her voice.
Finn looks at Sam to find him already looking back, and Finn can feel his mouth tilting up into a smile. "Yeah," they say at the same time.
"Can we trust you to keep this a secret?" Finn asks. "It's not something we're ashamed of. We just don't want everyone to know yet."
She nods. "Of course."
"No, but can we actually trust you. Like you won't threaten to out us if we don't support your Summer Glee Project or whatever random idea you have next."
She looks properly apologetic. "I won't, I promise. It's... it's not my place." Finn remembers suddenly that she's got two gay dads. Maybe this is one thing they can trust her on.
"What's this summer project I keep hearing about?" Sam asks.
Rachel lights up and launches into her explanation, and Finn's just grateful for the change of subject.
"That sounds great," Sam says when she's done giving the details.
Finn's eyebrows shoot up. "Really?"
"Yeah. I'm up for anything that's away from work and outta the house."
"See?" Rachel says. "Not everyone wants to sit around their house all summer."
"That's not what I said," Finn defends, feeling a little let down by Sam's response without knowing why. "And I said I'd back you up."
"We'll both back you up," Sam says.
"Thanks!" Rachel says with a smile. "Oh, you've just given me a great idea for how to pitch it to the group! I've gotta go write it down before I forget." And just like that, she's disappearing back through the bathroom door. After a few seconds, they hear her voice out in the hall. "Expect a formal announcement at dinner!"
Finn buries his face in his pillow and screams into it. It's gonna be a long day.
******
As they're making lunch, Sam cuts Finn off in the middle of a story about his skateboarding past because Rachel comes downstairs. "Hold that thought," he says, then catches Rachel before she goes outside.
She seems pleased by whatever he's got to say, and Finn tries not to take it personally. He'd thought Sam was amused by his story, but apparently he was just being polite.
He finishes making his sandwich and takes it to the couch with a sigh, turning on the TV. When Sam joins him again, he pretends to be engrossed in the show. It works until it goes to commercial break, and then he's stuck.
"So, what happened next with the skateboarding? You can't leave me in suspense, dude. I gotta hear the exciting conclusion."
Finn shrugs. "Just lost interest I guess." He takes a huge bite of his sandwich and stares hard at the TV, as if he's mesmerized by the toothpaste commercial.
Sam's knee bumps against his slightly. "Something's bothering you." he says. "What's up?"
Finn glances at him. He wants to be annoyed that Sam can read him so well, but he can't manage it. "I dunno, I just... Why are you so into Rachel's idea?"
Sam quirks an eyebrow, looking confused by the question. "I told you. It'll be a good excuse to get out of the house. Plus," he drops his voice, even though no one's around, "I'll get to see you."
"Yeah, but... I thought maybe you'd wanna 'get out of the house' and come visit me."
"Ah," Sam says, looking away. Finn gets a sinking feeling. "Here's the deal. My parents are kinda going crazy about college right now. They already want me to be filling out scholarship applications, and they think pretty much every waking moment that I'm not working, I should be doing something else I can put on my resume. I can come visit you sometimes, but if I do it too much, they'll just accuse me of being lazy and playing video games with my friends all the time instead of doing something meaningful."
Finn's stomach drops out. So much for dating all summer. "Oh."
"Yeah," Sam says, obviously unhappy. "But I've got a plan. I can just tell 'em Rachel's glee thing is twice a week - once at her place, once at yours. Then I'll have an excuse to come visit you every week."
"Oh," Finn says again, his mouth curving into a smile. "Cool."
"I thought so," Sam says, smiling now. They return their attention to the TV as it comes back from commercial, but after a few seconds, Sam adds in a hushed tone, "I think it's kinda hot that you want me all to yourself all summer."
Finn looks at him, the side of his mouth quirking up as his gaze drops to Sam's lips, but then they hear the sound of the sliding door opening and snap back to watching TV.
It turns out that it's only Mercedes, who walks up behind them and says quietly, "I wasn't kidding about y'all being worse than Kurt and Blaine."
"We'll take that as a compliment," Sam says, smiling and holding his hand up for a fistbump. Finn bumps it, exaggerating the resulting 'explosion' and smiling when Sam does the same.
Mercedes just rolls her eyes and laughs at them as she heads upstairs. Finn waits until she goes around the corner to say, "We are the worst secret-keepers ever."
"I know," Sam says. "No more private flirting in places where we can't act on it."
Finn frowns. "But..."
Sam shoves at his shoulder. "Shut up and eat your lunch."
Finn smiles and does as he's told, knowing they'll be heading upstairs for a few minutes before going outside.
******
Rachel makes her pitch at dinner, incorporating Sam's idea for competitions, with prizes, that are voted on out loud where you can't vote for yourself. Different themes every week, including one for dancing, same sex duets, opposite sex duets, ballads, and even a couple where Rachel won't compete, "so the rest of you will have a shot." Despite her last little arrogant comment, people seem into the idea, all except for Santana.
"What's in it for me, huh?" she says bitingly. "I'd have to put up with you every week, and it's not like I'd ever have a fair shot at winning. And I'm not gonna kiss everybody's ass just so you'll all vote for me to win some cupcakes or whatever-the-fuck."
Brittany says her name softly and reaches out to place her hand on Santana's leg. She smiles when Santana looks at her and says, "I think it could be fun."
Finn's pretty sure that's the end of the argument. Santana tends to do whatever Brittany says, especially if she says it like that. But today something's different, because Santana pushes her away. "Why do you always have to take their side, huh?" she says harshly before launching into a rant that incorporates lots of things Finn doesn't understand and at least a couple references to making out. Everyone's eyebrows are raised for at least part of her speech.
At the end, she makes a frustrated noise and mutters something in Spanish before pushing away from the table and stomping upstairs. After an awkward pause, Rachel clears her throat and says, "So I'll see you all next Thursday?"
******
Later that night, Tina wins the best-4-out-of-7 rock-paper-scissors match and decides to watch Bridget Jones' Diary. Thanks to Kurt, Finn has (unfortunately) seen it, so he slips out onto the deck as they're starting it up. He slips his shoes off and steps down onto the sand, now cool from the sun going down. He doesn't realize anyone else is out there with him until a voice speaks up.
"Watch it, Big Foot, there are killer crabs that scurry across the sand after dark. I hear they love the toes of awkward giants."
"Santana?" Finn says, squinting to find her in the dark.
"I was thinking about going to sleep at Uncle Rob's place, but I still haven't decided if I trust you losers in my parents' house without my supervision." As his eyes adjust to the dark, he finally finds her sitting beside the old tire they found last Monday with her legs crossed in front of her.
Finn drops down next to her, knowing if he asked permission that she wouldn't give it. "I'm pretty sure you have the power to dictate where everybody sleeps. Why don't you just switch with somebody for the night?"
She stays quiet for a minute, sifting sand between her fingers. "Nobody gets to sleep next to Brittany but me."
Well, there's something Finn can identify with. "Are you and her--" Santana snarls, and Finn cuts himself off. "Hey, don't kill me, I'm just asking. Sam and me... we're kinda..."
"Fucking?"
"Dating," Finn says, cutting his eyes at her. The effect is lost in the dark.
"Yeah, but are you fooling around and calling it dating or is he actually your sugar pie honeybunch?" she says, her voice going icky sweet at the end.
He knows she's making fun of him, but he doesn't care. It gives him kind of a thrill to say, "He's actually my boyfriend. We're going out next week."
That shuts her up for a minute. "Why are you telling me this? Haven't you heard I'm the number one saboteur of McKinley High relationships?"
"Number one what?"
"I ruin people's relationships for cheap thrills. Don't you listen to the rumors?"
"You don't, though." Santana snorts, but Finn doesn't let that stop him. "Well, maybe you have before, but only when it benefits you. I, uh, I'm not exactly innocent of that either."
"Well well well. Finn Hudson admitting to his flaws. I never thought I'd see the day."
Finn blushes, wondering if he should even reply to that. After a few seconds, he says, "I'm not perfect, but I'm trying to get it right."
Santana's voice is serious when she speaks up again. "Sam's not really a closet case, you know. We'd only been dating a week before he told me he was into dudes as well as ladies. He's gonna want to tell people."
"Yeah," Finn says. He's started sifting sand through his hands, now. It's oddly soothing. "We've already told a few people. And I think... I dunno, it wouldn't be so bad to tell everyone in Glee. They all support Kurt; why wouldn't they support Sam and me?"
"Yeah, but you're not gonna be able to tell just the Glee Club," Santana points out. "Word's gonna get out, and then you'll lose that precious popularity you love so much."
Finn shrugs. "They already say I'm gay anyway." He narrows his eyes at her. "You seem to have given this a lot of thought."
"No shit, Sherlock," she mutters under her breath.
"Hang on, so you and Brittany really are--"
"Don't," Santana cuts in, "say it. And anyway, we're not. She won't... be with me until I'm willing to tell everyone."
Finn just looks at her for a minute. She's turned away from him slightly, her head ducked down and her hair falling in her face, and it's by far the most vulnerable Finn's ever seen her. "Why are you telling me this?"
"I don't know, you started it. Why are you even talking to me? No one else is." She tosses a shell down the beach, and Finn watches it disappear into the dark.
"That's because they're all afraid you'll yell at them next. If Brittany's not safe, none of us are."
"Which begs the question, why are you here?"
"I figure I'm probably past due for a Santana lecture, especially after the way I acted earlier this week during Inception."
"Yeah, what was the story there?" she asks, shifting around to stretch her legs out in front of her, now turned toward Finn.
He raises his eyebrows. "Do you actually wanna know?"
"I wouldn't be wasting my breath if I didn't," she says, and Finn can imagine her eyeroll even if he can't quite see it.
So he tells her the story, not sugarcoating any of the details. It's actually the most he's told anyone about how he really felt, because the call to Kurt and Blaine the morning after had been more 'help me' and 'tell me what to do' than 'this is how I feel,' and he hasn't had reason to get into it since. "And I dunno," he says, finally getting to his point, "I guess I figured out I'd rather be a loser with him than popular and lonely."
"Fuck," Santana says, throwing down her handful of sand. She stands up and strides toward back toward the house with purpose, leaving Finn by himself.
"Hey, where are you going?"
"To make amends!" she shouts over her shoulder. "If you can work out your stupid shit, then I definitely can."
Finn scrambles to his feet, not wanting to miss this, but all Santana does once inside is demand Brittany come talk to her outside. He kind of hangs out in the doorway, but Santana glares and points inside, so he gets the impression he's not invited to this part.
They come back inside a bit later with their pinkies locked, but Santana doesn't make eye contact with Finn. He still smiles to himself and nudges his knee up against Sam's, happy that their story helped someone else. Sam sends him a questioning look, but Finn just smiles and puts his hand on Sam's knee. Sam blushes and tries hard to focus on the movie, and that just makes Finn smile harder. Yep, best beach trip ever.
******
Loading up the car the next day is depressing. Finn wishes he and Sam could just stay here all summer. No college applications, no jobs, no dealing with family. Just him and Sam with no one to bother them.
Unfortunately, wishing doesn't do him any good, and Sam has a shift at the pizza place tonight, so they have to head out soon. Finn pulls the trunk shut with a sigh.
He puts on a fake smile and looks at Sam, who's just finished helping Rachel with her bags. "Ready to go?"
Sam kinda frowns and reaches into his pockets. "I think I left my phone upstairs. Can you go check?"
"Sure," Finn says, jogging back into the house. Santana gives him a look when she passes him on the stairs, and he quickly tells her, "Sam forgot his phone."
She mumbles something in response, but Finn doesn't catch it. He looks under the now well-made bed, checks the nightstand, looks in the dresser drawer, but he doesn't see a phone.
"You've got five minutes!" Santana calls from downstairs. Finn wonders if he should unmake the bed and check under the covers, but then Sam walks in.
"Five minutes," Sam says, sliding the door shut behind him.
"Hey, I checked under the bed, but--"
Sam interrupts him by wrapping his hand around Finn's neck, pulling him down and kissing him like they've got more than five minutes.
Finn takes a second to breathe when he pulls back. "Not that I don't appreciate this, but shouldn't we be using our time to look for your phone?"
"My phone is in the car," Sam says, inching his other hand under Finn's shirt. "I was just tired of you looking like someone just told you your puppy ran away."
Finn takes a second to process that and then smiles. "Well in that case," he says, backing Sam up against the door. He kisses him lazily, wishing they had more time. Who knows when they'll get a chance to do this again?
"Just because we're going home doesn't mean we're gonna be over, you know," Sam says, reading Finn's mind. Finn would probably frown if Sam hadn't moved back in for another kiss.
"I know, it's just... it's not gonna be the same back home. We won't get to hang out as often." He doesn't say, 'we won't get to sleep in the same bed,' even though that's probably the worst part.
"Yeah," Sam says with a sigh. "But we'll hang out as much as we can. And my cousin offered to help me out with the phone bill, so I'll be able to get a decent cell phone plan. We can call each other as much as we want."
"Cool," Finn says. Maybe if he talks to Sam right before bed, he won't lie awake all night.
"Plus, I'm kinda lookin' forward to, y'know, actually going out next week. Kickass mutants with kickass abilities!" he says, punching the air next to Finn. "And I guess you'll be there too."
Finn rolls his eyes. "Shut up and come here," Finn says, pulling him in for another kiss. Sam is still smiling when their lips meet.
"Touching," Santana's voice cuts in, "but your five minutes are up."
Sam jumps back, but Finn doesn't let him get very far. "It's okay, dude. She already knows."
Sam stares at him with his mouth hanging open. It's a tempting look. He turns back to Santana and says, "And you say I have a big mouth!"
"Listen, as much as I enjoy providing the accommodations for your sexual liberation, I gots to get home before my bratty little sister lays official claim to my room."
Sam blatantly ignores her by leaning in to kiss Finn one more time, but then he smiles cheekily and says, "Okay."
"Whoa, where'd everybody go?" Finn says when they get downstairs. The driveway is empty of every car but his and Santana's, with Brittany asleep in the passenger's seat.
"Unlike me," Santana says, "they all bought your shitty cover story about the phone. I told 'em to go on, that I'd help you look. You're welcome." She closes the door behind them as they walk outside, cursing when the deadbolt won't turn all the way.
"Need some help?" Sam offers, but she ignores him and keeps trying. Eventually, she successfully turns it, shooting Sam a superior look.
"Oh, the force is strong with this one," Sam says in one of his many voices. Finn tries not to laugh out loud.
"You are dating a huge dork," Santana tells Finn, looking unimpressed.
"I know," Finn says, taking Sam's hand and looking at him fondly. Sam looks surprised for a second before smiling and ducking his head. Santana scoffs, but Finn ignores her and smiles wide at Sam. "Come on, let's go home."
THE END