FIC: What's Right In Front of You - Glee - Rachel/Quinn
Title: What's Right In Front of You
Author: muzicchick13
Pairing/Character(s): Rachel/Quinn, very slight Quinn/Finn, Rachel/Finn
Rating: PG (13 for slash??)
Spoilers: Episodes 1-2 roughly. Nothing major.
Summary: Quinn decides to confront Rachel about Finn, in a nutshell.
A/N: I apologize in advanced for any errors due to the lack of beta-ing.
Quinn inhaled deeply. Her eyes fluttered closed as she pulled the collar of her jacket close, letting the smell and feel of the leather invade her senses. She'd always loved leather and never had enough opportunities to wear it. But right now she was going for the intimidation factor and leather was nothing if not intimidating, right? Sexy, she thought to herself, sexy and intimidating...perfect.
"Hey, what are you doing here? Thought you had extended cheer practice tonight." Finn said, almost failing to notice her as she'd swapped her cheer uniform for a pair of tight denim jeans and the leather jacket.
Quinn said nothing, simply shrugging her shoulders.
"Oh.." Finn said slowly, "well look, I know you'll find out anyway, but I'm going to Rachel's tonight so she can help me with my music." Quinn's eyebrows furrowed slightly but she shook it off, taking Finn's jacket collar into her hands.
"Well as long as that filthy little Gleek keeps her hands to herself...I don't see the problem."
Finn couldn't hide his look of surprise.
"So...you're not freaking out about this?" He said cautiously.
"Should I be?" Quinn said, tightening her hold on his collar.
"N-no, no. Of course not."
Liar, Quinn thought idly. Sometimes she wondered why she bothered.
"So I'll see you tomorrow?" Finn asked, pulling away from her slightly. Quinn smiled.
"Of course." She watched as Finn turned and walked down the hallway, disappearing through the doors at the end of it. Quinn glanced slowly sideways. "Enjoying the show?" There was a clatter of binders against metal as Rachel jumped backwards into a set of lockers.
"I didn't think you knew I was here." She said, straightening her things.
"How could I miss you? Standing there gawking at my boyfriend all out in the open like that." Quinn turned and regarded Rachel in, what most would call, a predatory manner.
"I was not gawking at your boyfriend." Rachel retorted, but as she turned to open her locker Quinn could see the blush rising in her cheeks. Quinn clucked her tongue, stalking slowly towards Rachel.
"So you were gawking at me?" She said, loving how easily she could play with the brunette's head. "Well, if it were anyone else, honestly, I'd be flattered. But coming from you, it's just creepy."
Rachel threw her things into her locker and rounded on Quinn.
"I was not gawking at anyone and it would not be creepy and you should be careful of what you say because one could get certain ideas from the things you just said."
Quinn, not having expected Rachel to exhibit such anger, responded instinctively with more anger.
"Well I'm not the one who's going around trying to steal other people's boyfriends!" She said, moving even closer to Rachel so that the brunette was effectively pinned against the lockers merely by Quinn's presence.
"I'm not trying to steal anyone's anything!" Rachel said, twisting away from her. Quinn grabbed hold of Rachel's arm, keeping her from going to far. "Did you ever stop to think that maybe he's the one pursuing me? Did you even consider that for one second?"
"Of course I did!" Quinn shouted, much louder than she had intended. She was rapidly losing her cool and not liking one second of it. "I've thought about it every minute of every day since you came into his life! And I hate it because I know it's probably the truth but I can't believe that he would leave me for you. I can't, so I blame you because it's easier for me! Because I can't handle it any other way."
Rachel pulled her arm from Quinn's grasp, spinning away from the other girl. She hadn't gone two steps when the blonde's voice called out to her.
"He'll never love you the way you deserve to be loved." Quinn's voice broke. She'd unwillingly spoken the one thing she refused to admit to herself...and she'd said it in front of her worst enemy.
Rachel rounded on her, angry tears burning in her eyes. "How would you know?"
Quinn bit her lip to keep it from quivering. Her eyes were burning and try as she might to stop it, she felt a single tear roll down her cheek. She shrugged and, had she been anyone else, her shoulders would've slumped in defeat. But she was Quinn Fabray and, if nothing else, she had perfect posture.
"Who better?" She said, a bitter smile gracing her face. Rachel said nothing, so Quinn was reduced to trying to figure out what the clenching and unclenching of the brunette's jaw meant.
Quinn wasn't sure when she'd decided to become the vulnerable one in this confrontation. One minute she had Rachel practically shaking with fear and the next...it was like Quinn had totally exposed herself to...to this Gleek. A Gleek who she was quickly realizing was a person too. One who'd been toyed with just as much as, if not more than, herself and by the same sweaty high school jock no less.
"You deserve more than that." Rachel said, pulling Quinn from her thoughts.
"What?" Quinn asked shakily. Rachel swallowed thickly before slowly approaching the Cheerio. She had been trying to figure out just exactly what Quinn's angle was, but she knew all too well the look on the other girls face. That look that said so clearly, 'I give up.'
"You deserve to be loved." Rachel said, smiling gently, and she meant it. She'd had just about enough of Finn's games anyway.
Quinn blinked a couple of times taking in what Rachel had said. She opened her mouth to say...well she wasn't quite sure, but it didn't matter as she heard footsteps and a familiar voice coming down the hall. Without thinking she grabbed Rachel and pushed her against the wall. The lockers just barely concealed them, but only if Quinn basically melded her body to Rachel's.
"What are you doing?" Rachel exclaimed in a hushed whisper.
"It's Ms. Sylvester, she'll kill me if she sees me." Quinn said quickly, she could feel her cheeks warming as she blushed. There was no one on the planet that their current position wouldn't have felt awkward with.
"Why would she kill you? She loves y-" Quinn clamped a hand over Rachel's mouth and watched the brunette's eyes widen.
"So what you're telling me, ladies, is that no one has any idea where my head Cheerio has got to? She missed extended practice!"
Quinn kept her hand firmly in place, this was exactly the last place she needed to be discovered by her cheer coach.
"She didn't say anything to any of us."
Sue clucked her tongue with impatience, "this is very strange indeed."
It was silent for a few very tense moments. Quinn was sure Ms. Sylvester would hear her heart beating like mad against her chest and even if she didn't, she knew Rachel would. Rachel would feel it, and it was a small comfort that Quinn could feel the brunette's heart pounding just as hard.
"Step inside my office ladies."
They listened as a door opened and a light flicked on, bathing a small portion of the lockers opposite them in light. As the door clicked closed Quinn finally let her hand leave Rachel's mouth, she stepped back unsure of what to say.
"I don't know whether to be flattered or frightened that you missed cheer practice just to come talk to me." Rachel said, keeping her voice low. Quinn shifted her weight awkwardly, and when she didn't respond Rachel continued. "It's ok you know. There are very few people in this school who don't hate me."
"I don't hate you." Quinn said, taking an anxious step forward. Rachel smiled sadly.
"You know what's weird?" She asked, Quinn shook her head slightly. "I really wish that were true."
Quinn felt her heart clench, it was true and she was about to say so. She was about to explain how, in the short duration of their conversation, Rachel had somehow slipped into Quinn's unconsciousness and changed anything and everything Quinn thought she knew. Quinn had, as impossible as it sounded, become fond of Rachel. In such a way that she couldn't bear another second of looking at those big brown puppy dog eyes, or that steadily quivering bottom lip. She was about to tell Rachel all of this when Rachel's eyes flicked suddenly over her shoulder and Quinn found herself being pulled against the brunette's warm body once again.
"What are you-?" Quinn started, and this time it was Rachel's hand that was placed tightly over Quinn's mouth.
The light had turned off and the door opened suddenly on the other side of the lockers.
"It is so nice of you girls to offer to carry my things to my car for me. I mean really, 5 bags is a little much I guess but you can never be too prepared right?" They heard the scuffle of shoes enter the hallway and start to fade in the other direction.
"Um Ms. Sylvester...is this a bowling ball?"
"It's league night tonight girls, so pick up the pace I wanna get there before the soccer moms eat all the nachos!"
They heard the doors at the far end of the hall shut behind the unlucky Cheerios and their coach. Quinn's eyes were still glued to that end of the hall, her ears listening just in case they came back for...who knows what.
Rachel slowly pulled her hand away from Quinn's mouth and simply observed the blonde, having never been this close to her before.
"Quinn?" Rachel said softly.
"Hmm?" Quinn replied distractedly, still focused on the front doors.
"I think it's ok now."
Rachel wasn't sure when it happened but at some point during their hushed encounter she'd interlaced the fingers of her free hand with Quinn's. She squeezed gently, finally pulling the blonde's attention back.
As Quinn turned to look at Rachel, she realized just how close they were. She noticed the way her eyes sparkled with curiosity. She noticed how smooth her skin looked, wondering if felt the same. She noticed her full, plump lips that were no longer quivering. And that...is when Quinn knew what Finn saw in Rachel.
And Rachel knew the look she saw in Quinn's eyes. She ran her tongue over her parched lips and whispered, "You know, you can kiss me if you want to."
It was cliché, and she knew it but Rachel vaguely registered that she was much more nervous saying this to Quinn, and Quinn was slowly moving towards her, pressing impossibly closer.
She felt Quinn's lips brush hers as the blonde murmured, "I want to."
Quinn found her free hand gently cupping Rachel's face, as Rachel placed hers on the small of Quinn's back.
Quinn's lips were soft, and Rachel's skin was just as smooth as it looked, and both girls realized how nice it was kissing someone who didn't tower over you.
Quinn was the one to slowly pull away. She watched as Rachel's expression changed from one of content to one of defeat.
"Go ahead, say it." Rachel said, her voice breaking in the silence.
"Say what?" Quinn asked, her head still swimming.
"Ask me to, 'please not tell anyone about this.'" Rachel turned her head to side as tears began burning her eyes.
"Why would I say that?" Quinn said, gently turning Rachel's head back so that she could look in her eyes.
"It's what Finn said." Rachel's lip quivered. Quinn sighed and leaned her forehead against Rachel's deciding that fond was probably not the right way to describe what she was now feeling for Rachel. No, she was much more than fond.
"You deserve more than that."
Rachel smiled blearily as a few tears rolled down her cheeks. "So what now?"
Quinn shook her head slightly, "I don't know. I mean in the span of half an hour I've gone from hating you, to realizing that maybe the thing I've been missing...has been right in front of me the whole time."
Rachel nodded and bit her lip slightly. "You know," she started bashfully, "you're a much better kisser than Finn."
Quinn chuckled, and pulled Rachel close, "so are you."
-----------------------------
"Finn? Hey it's Rachel."
"Oh hey Rach, I was just about to head over." He said, putting an arm through the sleeve of his letterman's jacket.
"Um yeah, about that..." Finn listened intently as she trailed off. "I...I um...well you see I'm helping Quinn learn her parts and I thought that since she's brand new and you're an experienced Gleek that it would be ok if I helped her tonight?"
Finn couldn't stop his mouth from dropping slightly. His head tilted to the side as he processed the information.
"So...you...are with Quinn right now? And she hasn't called the police?" He chuckled to himself.
"That's right Finn and we'll probably be working together every night this week so I'm afraid that I'm going to have to cancel all of those practice sessions with you also." Rachel ranted, her cheeks flushing.
"Whoa, alright Rach, no big. I'll see you at rehearsal tomorrow."
"Fine, good." Rachel replied.
"Later."
And with a click Rachel found herself exhaling very deeply and turning to the person lounging on the bed behind her.
"I told you to tell him anything but the truth." Quinn said, a small smile betraying her annoyance with the brunette.
Rachel slowly moved so that she was standing between Quinn's legs, "It wasn't the whole truth, and besides, don't you know?" She said simply, lifting her hand to signal to Quinn that she should sit up.
"Know what?" Quinn said, rising to meet Rachel. Rachel draped her arms gently around Quinn's shoulders and the blonde hooked her thumbs in the belt loops of Rachel's jeans.
"People never see what's right in front of them."