More fic!
This is a happy fic fill. Like kinda borderline cheesy. I don't know where it came from, but I saw the prompt, and it fit perfectly with one I wanted to do when I saw the cards in a cardmaking/scrapbooking magazine (I'm an addict.) so I finally got to write it.
"All I want is for one guy to prove to me that they're not all the same"
After the dramatic conclusion to her relationship with Jesse, where she ends up covered in egg in the middle of the student car park, humiliated, alone, haunted and nauseated with only a broken heart for company, and the inevitable ending to her relationship with Finn, because really, how did he not expect her to find out that he lied about sleeping with Santana? It was going to be blatantly obvious as soon as they made love, even to a virgin like Rachel, she begins to wonder if she’s ever going to get the happy ending she’s fantasised since she first began watching Disney movies as a very young girl, and then grew into musicals and stage shows as she got older.
She wonders if all they do is provide you with amazing music, and set you up for a fall once you realise all the expectations and hope you have for this wonderful happily ever after ending to life and love will never actually come true.
She wonders if every guy she dates will end up breaking her heart, and the dramatic part of her that she can’t not express, because lets face it, with her talent, she needs her dramatic side, wonders if maybe she’s doomed to walk the planet alone forever.
(Okay. That might be a tad extreme. She may not have Quinn Fabray’s blonde-blue eyed beauty, or Santana’s… sexual prowess, but she does have a lot to offer some lucky guy one day. And if all else fails, she’ll woo him with the power of her song and her voice and her ability to make wonderful cookies with various hidden meanings.)
She gives it a lot of thought, her luck in love. Finn used to tell her he’d do anything to prove that she’s the girl for him, that he made his mistakes in not leaving Quinn until it was too late and that he was sorry for all the things he did to her, and really, when she thinks about it after their relationship has come to its final end, that was a long list of things that used to make her cry late at night as she thought her heart was breaking.
God, how hard could it be to just have a guy who loves her for who she is, not because no one else is unavailable or because she’s got an amazing voice or because her mother wants to keep an eye on her and to try to re-enter her life and then leave with a baby to start over, rectifying her mistakes with some other child.
It’s not like she’s a bad, horrible person. She’s not unattractive. She’s smart and passionate and works hard. And has no gag reflex, which apparently will more than definitely work in her favour.
She cries to Quinn about it one day, because really, how is it asking too much for just one boy to love her the way she deserves? It’s not like she’s asking for marriage and life-long commitment, because she’s got so many dreams to conquer before that idea even enters the picture.
“Do you think all boys are the same? All I get is heart break from boys with plans that don’t include me; I’m just their stepping stone on the way to something better. Winning Regional’s, getting scholarships, and finding top class girlfriends. (Not that she really considers Santana “top class” with her extremely long sexual history that kind of makes Rachel sick to think about, but Quinn’s still friends with her and Rachel would rather not stir the pot.) All I want is for one guy to prove to me that they’re not all the same, because I’m really starting to believe that guy doesn’t exist, at least, not for me.”
She really thinks she’s starting to mean it, too.
“I think there’s somebody out there for everyone who makes all the pain and hurt and heartbreak we went through first worth while.”
“You’re just saying that because you’ve got Matt who is hopelessly in love with you and treats you like a Queen. Not all of us are going to get that happy ending, Q.” Rachel replies, with the not-unfamiliar pang of envy she gets when she thinks about how lucky Quinn has it. Matt is a total sweet heart, would never make her wonder where he is or what he’s doing or who he’s doing it with, and reminds her every day that she’s beautiful and wonderful and perfect.
God, Rachel longs for that.
She wants desperately for it to be in her future.
She’s just not sure anymore if it’s going to happen. She knows it seems silly to base the painful demise of two high school relationships on what the rest of her life will be like, but when you spend a lot of nights wondering what it is about you that makes you so hard to love, it’s pretty easy to do.
All she really needs right now is one guy to prove to her that they aren’t all the same, and then maybe she’ll contemplate a happier ending for her life, once she’s accepted her Tony Awards and her Grammy’s and played her most desired Broadway roles.
--
Quinn can sort of see where Rachel’s coming from. She’s pretty sure there’s not a girl alive who hasn’t wondered at some point whether she’ll ever find a guy who won’t treat her like all the others.
But Quinn also knows a secret that she’s been keeping from her best friend out of respect for Puck and all the moments they shared. (A year ago, she never would’ve admitted to them, but he stuck by her in the hardest time of her entire life, and she’ll never forget it.) So she sort of owes him to keep this particular secret.
He’s in love with Rachel.
It wasn’t exactly the worlds best kept secret. She knew, she knows him so well by now, she knew he wasn’t just being friendly when it came to his interactions with Rachel.
She asked him flat out once she began her relationship with Matt and her and Puck were definitely over. He admits it with a shrug, tells her he’s not entirely sure how it happened, but he definitely likes her and whatever, and he’s just not sure how she feels so he’s not gonna do anything about it in case she’s still crazy in love with Finn.
Quinn’s instinctive. She’s sure that Rachel’s got some feelings for Puck, too. Especially because, the day after Puck went to Rachel’s to work on Run Joey, Run, Rachel can’t meet her eye line, and Puck later confesses that he tried to kiss her twice, but it was whatever.
They’re definitely not just friends, and Rachel’s definitely not going to be alone forever.
Quinn tells Puck a few days later after Rachel’s break down that Rachel fears being alone forever and that she’s not good enough to love. Puck scoffs and looks shocked. “She’s Rachel fuckin’ Berry, she’s legit gonna be like some famous singer/star, who the hell wouldn’t love her?”
Secretly he likes that she’s not as confident as she appears.
“Tell her that, show her that, show her that not all guys are just going to be with her to break her heart or use her until something better comes along or they get what they want from her.”
“Fuckin’ Finn needs his head smashed in.” Puck grumbles and Quinn’s not exactly going to deny that, because what he’s done to Rachel over the course of their relationship and non-relationship has not been good for her self esteem or her heart.
“So, are you going to show her or not?” You see, Quinn’s impatient. And she’s always wanted to play matchmaker. Call her a hopeless romantic, if you will, but there is a part of her that always wants to be behind an orchestrated happy ending.
And she really just wants two people she’s come to care about an unbelievable amount to be happy, and she thinks they’d be happy together.
Puck’s not exactly able to lie about who he’s slept with. The evidence is scrawled across the walls in the female bathrooms at McKinley. And he’s also had Rachel and lost her once before, and in some ways, regretted it ever since.
“Noah Puckerman, it’s time to get tuned into your romantic side.” Matt snickers at his girlfriends words, as he looks at his best friend’s face full of horror.
“Okay, what song am I singing?” He asks, and Quinn rolls her eyes.
“She wants to be treated differently. Doing something you’ve done before isn’t exactly showing her that, as romantic as it was.” (Even though Quinn didn’t think so at the time, on reflection, wanting her two best friends to be together, it was definitely very romantic.)
Puck rolls his eyes. She sends him out to buy coloured paper and glue. She writes him a list in case he gets it wrong, and sends her boyfriend to supervise just in case he still manages to get it wrong.
This needs to be perfect.
And as he’s picking up his keys and muttering about how he thought he was done being Quinn’s bitch once they broke up, he pauses at the door and offers her a half smile.
“Hey? Thanks.”
She knew he wanted it. He just didn’t know how to go about it.
Sometimes a girl just has to step in and show the boys how it’s done.
--
He gets back with his supplies and she sets out to make a batch of cards with different things on the front. She instructs him to make himself useful by finding song lyrics or thinking of things to write in said cards.
Quinn became addicted to card making while horribly pregnant, okay? There’s not a lot to do when you’re a million pounds over weight and can’t eat bacon because your baby-daddy’s mom is sort of very crazy, even though you’re catholic and can pretty much eat anything you like.
She just knows that Rachel’s going to be all for creativity and romance and this? This is practically the epitome of romance.
The first one she creates is simple. She puts a gold glittery star in the centre, and in fancy fonts, writes “You are a star.” It’s simple, but elegant, if she does say so herself. She hands it to Noah with a matching gold pen, and on the black inside, she lets him write a message. She assumes it’s going to be something dirty, but at least Rachel would get to feel wanted. She tells him he can sign it if he wants, but he says he wants to make a set of them, do some secret admirer thing, and she loves that Noah Puckerman has a romantic side that is finally being uncovered, and it’s finally being uncovered for her best friend who thinks she’s unlovable, even though she’s definitely not.
Quinn makes another one that says “Prepare to be amazed” on the cover, with a ribbon across the front on paper that is covered in stars. It’s perfectly Rachel and perfect for Rachel, and she passes it on to Noah, who writes “You’re amazing” on the inside, and Quinn’s never felt so happy to be helping other people than right now.
He tells her to make one that is pink and girly and frilly and all that “bullshit” that Rachel will absolutely love.
She does so, and she’s treated to a surprise as he writes “Unforgettable” across the front, and says this is going to be a postcard instead of an actual card.
God, there’s a part of Quinn that could easily fall in love with him herself right now, with this side she never thought she’d see. She’ll still take Matt who isn’t emotionally retarded, but this side of Noah is really sweet, and she can’t wait for her best friend to find out and be utterly amazed.
She makes another one, a silver and black one, brightened by a pale pink square in the middle and a pink ribbon down one side that says, “There is no one else like you.” And hands it to Puck to write in once again. She thinks it’s too personal to ask what he’s writing, he’s sitting surrounded in pages of lyrics and quotes and she can tell he’s thinking carefully before he writes anything down in permanent marker on the inside.
He really, really loves her best friend, and she can’t wait to see her reaction.
She makes one final one, a fifth, so Rachel gets one on the remaining four days of the week, and one surprise final one some time over the course of the following weekend.
The final one is the most important of all.
“Are you sure you want to do this?” She asks, watching his face for any sign of hesitation.
He nods as if he hasn’t even had to consider it at all. She likes that.
She puts a boat on the front, a couple of hearts, and writes in curly cursive writing, “You float my boat” and smiles as he copies down lyrics to some song only the two of them would know and understand, and signs it with his initials once he’s done.
Matt’s sealing them in envelopes with non-descript writing on the front, and she thinks the three of them make a perfect matchmaking team. She should probably consider this as a post-high school career option.
Her best friend is going to undoubtedly fall in love with Noah Puckerman, if she wasn’t before.
--
Five days later, she bursts into Rachel’s room, where the girl is sitting on her bed with the five cards in front of her, thumbing frantically through her yearbook.
“Do you know about this? If it’s Jacob being creepy and trying to change his name, I’m going to get that restraining order, I swear.”
“You know who it is, Rachel. Don’t be dense.” Quinn sighs loudly, and rolls her eyes in sheer frustration.
“You really think Noah did all this?” Rachel sounds almost hopeful, and Quinn wants to give her a beaming smile practically ripped right off her face.
“I know he did. I watched him do it, helped him myself. And the smile you’ve had on your face all week was so worthwhile.”
Rachel’s smiling so brightly, she could pretty much take on the sun and win at this point in time.
“He wanted to prove to you that some boys think you’re better than all the rest, not just one of a million or a billion or whatever. He wanted to show you that not all guys are the same, just jack-asses who have great girls that they don’t know what to do with or how to treat right.”
Rachel’s smiling and there are tears because this is some romantic scene playing out in her dream of a movie-esque life.
“Do you think he means everything he says?” She asks, flipping through to random cards that tell her in Puck speak that she’s beautiful (“you’re really fuckin’ hot”) and that he cares about her and the last one’s picture pretty much says a thousand words, so all he’s done is write his initials on the inside with the words, “Think about it.”
Quinn’s pretty proud of him. She won’t say anything, because he’ll bitch and moan about how he looks like a pussy.
But he can’t deny the smile that lights up his face in the most surprising of ways the next day when she delivers a card to him that Rachel’s made herself, the lines of a Kylie Minogue song on the inside, followed by her initials.
“Two hearts are beating, together, I’m in love, I’m in love.”
Thank you, Noah.
R.B”
Rachel stops complaining about being unlovable. She has things to remind her just how different the most important people think she is.
"All I want is for one guy to prove to me that they're not all the same"
After the dramatic conclusion to her relationship with Jesse, where she ends up covered in egg in the middle of the student car park, humiliated, alone, haunted and nauseated with only a broken heart for company, and the inevitable ending to her relationship with Finn, because really, how did he not expect her to find out that he lied about sleeping with Santana? It was going to be blatantly obvious as soon as they made love, even to a virgin like Rachel, she begins to wonder if she’s ever going to get the happy ending she’s fantasised since she first began watching Disney movies as a very young girl, and then grew into musicals and stage shows as she got older.
She wonders if all they do is provide you with amazing music, and set you up for a fall once you realise all the expectations and hope you have for this wonderful happily ever after ending to life and love will never actually come true.
She wonders if every guy she dates will end up breaking her heart, and the dramatic part of her that she can’t not express, because lets face it, with her talent, she needs her dramatic side, wonders if maybe she’s doomed to walk the planet alone forever.
(Okay. That might be a tad extreme. She may not have Quinn Fabray’s blonde-blue eyed beauty, or Santana’s… sexual prowess, but she does have a lot to offer some lucky guy one day. And if all else fails, she’ll woo him with the power of her song and her voice and her ability to make wonderful cookies with various hidden meanings.)
She gives it a lot of thought, her luck in love. Finn used to tell her he’d do anything to prove that she’s the girl for him, that he made his mistakes in not leaving Quinn until it was too late and that he was sorry for all the things he did to her, and really, when she thinks about it after their relationship has come to its final end, that was a long list of things that used to make her cry late at night as she thought her heart was breaking.
God, how hard could it be to just have a guy who loves her for who she is, not because no one else is unavailable or because she’s got an amazing voice or because her mother wants to keep an eye on her and to try to re-enter her life and then leave with a baby to start over, rectifying her mistakes with some other child.
It’s not like she’s a bad, horrible person. She’s not unattractive. She’s smart and passionate and works hard. And has no gag reflex, which apparently will more than definitely work in her favour.
She cries to Quinn about it one day, because really, how is it asking too much for just one boy to love her the way she deserves? It’s not like she’s asking for marriage and life-long commitment, because she’s got so many dreams to conquer before that idea even enters the picture.
“Do you think all boys are the same? All I get is heart break from boys with plans that don’t include me; I’m just their stepping stone on the way to something better. Winning Regional’s, getting scholarships, and finding top class girlfriends. (Not that she really considers Santana “top class” with her extremely long sexual history that kind of makes Rachel sick to think about, but Quinn’s still friends with her and Rachel would rather not stir the pot.) All I want is for one guy to prove to me that they’re not all the same, because I’m really starting to believe that guy doesn’t exist, at least, not for me.”
She really thinks she’s starting to mean it, too.
“I think there’s somebody out there for everyone who makes all the pain and hurt and heartbreak we went through first worth while.”
“You’re just saying that because you’ve got Matt who is hopelessly in love with you and treats you like a Queen. Not all of us are going to get that happy ending, Q.” Rachel replies, with the not-unfamiliar pang of envy she gets when she thinks about how lucky Quinn has it. Matt is a total sweet heart, would never make her wonder where he is or what he’s doing or who he’s doing it with, and reminds her every day that she’s beautiful and wonderful and perfect.
God, Rachel longs for that.
She wants desperately for it to be in her future.
She’s just not sure anymore if it’s going to happen. She knows it seems silly to base the painful demise of two high school relationships on what the rest of her life will be like, but when you spend a lot of nights wondering what it is about you that makes you so hard to love, it’s pretty easy to do.
All she really needs right now is one guy to prove to her that they aren’t all the same, and then maybe she’ll contemplate a happier ending for her life, once she’s accepted her Tony Awards and her Grammy’s and played her most desired Broadway roles.
--
Quinn can sort of see where Rachel’s coming from. She’s pretty sure there’s not a girl alive who hasn’t wondered at some point whether she’ll ever find a guy who won’t treat her like all the others.
But Quinn also knows a secret that she’s been keeping from her best friend out of respect for Puck and all the moments they shared. (A year ago, she never would’ve admitted to them, but he stuck by her in the hardest time of her entire life, and she’ll never forget it.) So she sort of owes him to keep this particular secret.
He’s in love with Rachel.
It wasn’t exactly the worlds best kept secret. She knew, she knows him so well by now, she knew he wasn’t just being friendly when it came to his interactions with Rachel.
She asked him flat out once she began her relationship with Matt and her and Puck were definitely over. He admits it with a shrug, tells her he’s not entirely sure how it happened, but he definitely likes her and whatever, and he’s just not sure how she feels so he’s not gonna do anything about it in case she’s still crazy in love with Finn.
Quinn’s instinctive. She’s sure that Rachel’s got some feelings for Puck, too. Especially because, the day after Puck went to Rachel’s to work on Run Joey, Run, Rachel can’t meet her eye line, and Puck later confesses that he tried to kiss her twice, but it was whatever.
They’re definitely not just friends, and Rachel’s definitely not going to be alone forever.
Quinn tells Puck a few days later after Rachel’s break down that Rachel fears being alone forever and that she’s not good enough to love. Puck scoffs and looks shocked. “She’s Rachel fuckin’ Berry, she’s legit gonna be like some famous singer/star, who the hell wouldn’t love her?”
Secretly he likes that she’s not as confident as she appears.
“Tell her that, show her that, show her that not all guys are just going to be with her to break her heart or use her until something better comes along or they get what they want from her.”
“Fuckin’ Finn needs his head smashed in.” Puck grumbles and Quinn’s not exactly going to deny that, because what he’s done to Rachel over the course of their relationship and non-relationship has not been good for her self esteem or her heart.
“So, are you going to show her or not?” You see, Quinn’s impatient. And she’s always wanted to play matchmaker. Call her a hopeless romantic, if you will, but there is a part of her that always wants to be behind an orchestrated happy ending.
And she really just wants two people she’s come to care about an unbelievable amount to be happy, and she thinks they’d be happy together.
Puck’s not exactly able to lie about who he’s slept with. The evidence is scrawled across the walls in the female bathrooms at McKinley. And he’s also had Rachel and lost her once before, and in some ways, regretted it ever since.
“Noah Puckerman, it’s time to get tuned into your romantic side.” Matt snickers at his girlfriends words, as he looks at his best friend’s face full of horror.
“Okay, what song am I singing?” He asks, and Quinn rolls her eyes.
“She wants to be treated differently. Doing something you’ve done before isn’t exactly showing her that, as romantic as it was.” (Even though Quinn didn’t think so at the time, on reflection, wanting her two best friends to be together, it was definitely very romantic.)
Puck rolls his eyes. She sends him out to buy coloured paper and glue. She writes him a list in case he gets it wrong, and sends her boyfriend to supervise just in case he still manages to get it wrong.
This needs to be perfect.
And as he’s picking up his keys and muttering about how he thought he was done being Quinn’s bitch once they broke up, he pauses at the door and offers her a half smile.
“Hey? Thanks.”
She knew he wanted it. He just didn’t know how to go about it.
Sometimes a girl just has to step in and show the boys how it’s done.
--
He gets back with his supplies and she sets out to make a batch of cards with different things on the front. She instructs him to make himself useful by finding song lyrics or thinking of things to write in said cards.
Quinn became addicted to card making while horribly pregnant, okay? There’s not a lot to do when you’re a million pounds over weight and can’t eat bacon because your baby-daddy’s mom is sort of very crazy, even though you’re catholic and can pretty much eat anything you like.
She just knows that Rachel’s going to be all for creativity and romance and this? This is practically the epitome of romance.
The first one she creates is simple. She puts a gold glittery star in the centre, and in fancy fonts, writes “You are a star.” It’s simple, but elegant, if she does say so herself. She hands it to Noah with a matching gold pen, and on the black inside, she lets him write a message. She assumes it’s going to be something dirty, but at least Rachel would get to feel wanted. She tells him he can sign it if he wants, but he says he wants to make a set of them, do some secret admirer thing, and she loves that Noah Puckerman has a romantic side that is finally being uncovered, and it’s finally being uncovered for her best friend who thinks she’s unlovable, even though she’s definitely not.
Quinn makes another one that says “Prepare to be amazed” on the cover, with a ribbon across the front on paper that is covered in stars. It’s perfectly Rachel and perfect for Rachel, and she passes it on to Noah, who writes “You’re amazing” on the inside, and Quinn’s never felt so happy to be helping other people than right now.
He tells her to make one that is pink and girly and frilly and all that “bullshit” that Rachel will absolutely love.
She does so, and she’s treated to a surprise as he writes “Unforgettable” across the front, and says this is going to be a postcard instead of an actual card.
God, there’s a part of Quinn that could easily fall in love with him herself right now, with this side she never thought she’d see. She’ll still take Matt who isn’t emotionally retarded, but this side of Noah is really sweet, and she can’t wait for her best friend to find out and be utterly amazed.
She makes another one, a silver and black one, brightened by a pale pink square in the middle and a pink ribbon down one side that says, “There is no one else like you.” And hands it to Puck to write in once again. She thinks it’s too personal to ask what he’s writing, he’s sitting surrounded in pages of lyrics and quotes and she can tell he’s thinking carefully before he writes anything down in permanent marker on the inside.
He really, really loves her best friend, and she can’t wait to see her reaction.
She makes one final one, a fifth, so Rachel gets one on the remaining four days of the week, and one surprise final one some time over the course of the following weekend.
The final one is the most important of all.
“Are you sure you want to do this?” She asks, watching his face for any sign of hesitation.
He nods as if he hasn’t even had to consider it at all. She likes that.
She puts a boat on the front, a couple of hearts, and writes in curly cursive writing, “You float my boat” and smiles as he copies down lyrics to some song only the two of them would know and understand, and signs it with his initials once he’s done.
Matt’s sealing them in envelopes with non-descript writing on the front, and she thinks the three of them make a perfect matchmaking team. She should probably consider this as a post-high school career option.
Her best friend is going to undoubtedly fall in love with Noah Puckerman, if she wasn’t before.
--
Five days later, she bursts into Rachel’s room, where the girl is sitting on her bed with the five cards in front of her, thumbing frantically through her yearbook.
“Do you know about this? If it’s Jacob being creepy and trying to change his name, I’m going to get that restraining order, I swear.”
“You know who it is, Rachel. Don’t be dense.” Quinn sighs loudly, and rolls her eyes in sheer frustration.
“You really think Noah did all this?” Rachel sounds almost hopeful, and Quinn wants to give her a beaming smile practically ripped right off her face.
“I know he did. I watched him do it, helped him myself. And the smile you’ve had on your face all week was so worthwhile.”
Rachel’s smiling so brightly, she could pretty much take on the sun and win at this point in time.
“He wanted to prove to you that some boys think you’re better than all the rest, not just one of a million or a billion or whatever. He wanted to show you that not all guys are the same, just jack-asses who have great girls that they don’t know what to do with or how to treat right.”
Rachel’s smiling and there are tears because this is some romantic scene playing out in her dream of a movie-esque life.
“Do you think he means everything he says?” She asks, flipping through to random cards that tell her in Puck speak that she’s beautiful (“you’re really fuckin’ hot”) and that he cares about her and the last one’s picture pretty much says a thousand words, so all he’s done is write his initials on the inside with the words, “Think about it.”
Quinn’s pretty proud of him. She won’t say anything, because he’ll bitch and moan about how he looks like a pussy.
But he can’t deny the smile that lights up his face in the most surprising of ways the next day when she delivers a card to him that Rachel’s made herself, the lines of a Kylie Minogue song on the inside, followed by her initials.
“Two hearts are beating, together, I’m in love, I’m in love.”
Thank you, Noah.
R.B”
Rachel stops complaining about being unlovable. She has things to remind her just how different the most important people think she is.