Face to face, heart to heart: A Monchele fanfic
Title: Face to face, heart to heart
Pairing: Cory and Lea, Monchele, a tiny bit of Finchel
Rating: M for some minor suggestions of adult content
After Kevin accidentally tweeted a ‘Monchele’ photo with Lea and Cory close together in the background, Lea and Cory will be driven to face how they really feel about each other.
This is my first ever fanfic, inspired by both the Monchele and the Finchel.
Please review, and let me know if you’d like any more chapters!
Disclaimer: I have nothing to do with Glee or its characters. Sniff.
Back in LA! Missing home already but got a fun day on set tomorrow.
Cory posted the Tweet as his plane began its descent into Los Angeles, glancing out of the window before casually thumbing through his @replies. He wished he could stretch out his tired legs and curl up in his bed.
Among the variations of ‘welcome back’ and ‘you’re so hot’, was still a frightfully large amount on Monchele-related Tweets:
Monchele confirmed, Cory!
MONCHELE IS SO ON.
Can’t wait to see Lea?? ;) #Monchele #KevinIsOurGod
And that was just the tip of the iceberg.
Ever since Kevin had tweeted that accidental and unfortunate photo with him and Lea in the background last week, his Twitter had been flooded with Monchele comments. And he’d also noticed more articles were popping up on gossip sites about him and Lea ‘secretly dating.’
Cory sighed. He was honestly getting sick of hearing about the photo. He wasn’t dating Lea and never had. Sure, they were the best of friends, and he loved hanging out with her, but that photo captured nothing more than her whispering something quietly to him on set that wasn’t even important, from a very unlucky angle.
He could tell he was a bit irritable, most likely because he’d spent such a fast few days over the thanksgiving weekend snowboarding, seeing his family, and participating in Vancouver’s Grey Cup parade. It had been a lot of fun, but he was utterly exhausted and had another crazy early start tomorrow.
The Monchele Tweets and articles were getting worse, not better, and he felt something inside him snap. He decided to say something to clear it up, even though Glee’s publicist had encouraged him and Lea to just say nothing and let the story die out.
Guys, you’re sweet, but I love Lea only like a sister.
He sent the Tweet without thinking too long about it, feeling slightly jittery when he saw it appear in his timeline. He read it over and relaxed a little. It was clear, to the point, and most importantly, wouldn’t offend Lea. If anything, he knew he’d now be quoted as saying just the “I love Lea’ bit from now until forever. But that’s OK; no one will ever be able to claim that’s all he said.
The fasten seatbelt sign flashed on, and Cory decided to think nothing more of it, turning his phone off and shoving it back into his pocket.
--------------
At the Glee breakfast cart early the next morning Cory spotted Lea from behind, pouring herself a cup of coffee, of course. He often teased her about needing to surgically remove coffee cups from her hand. He could tell her hair had already been styled for the scene they were shooting together that morning; her telltale white socks and black shoes proving she was already dressed as Rachel Berry under that enormous coat.
He slid up beside her and gave her a soft poke in her right side, before ducking to her left side. Lea’s head spun to the right and then quickly left, exhaling loudly when she saw Cory smirking at her.
“Hey,” she said.
“How was New York?” Cory quizzed her, while eyeing off the pastry tray and selecting a blueberry Danish.
Looking down, Lea quietly but enthusiastically replied, “it was really great. Ate way too much with my family and saw a few shows… the usual.”
Lea looked up ay Cory to see him staring warmly and intently at her, the way he always did when she was telling him something, whether it was important or not.
“Sounds great.”
“How was Vancouver?” She asked casually, reaching for a banana.
“Awesome!” Cory beamed at her. “Snowboarded like crazy, saw mom, caught up with some buddies, didn’t get as much sleep as I wanted.”
Lea gave Cory a partial smile in acknowledgement and slunk away to one of the few empty chairs left next to a crewmember. She placed her coffee on the floor and pulled her script out of her coat pocket, burying herself in her lines as she chewed on her banana.
Left standing by the cart, Cory frowned slightly. Guess that conversation was over. Looking at her quietly reading, he felt just the faintest trace of alarm cross his chest. Could Lea be mad at him for something? She was never this quiet, especially after they haven’t seen each other for a few days.
Sighing softly, he put it down to female hormones and wandered back to his trailer to go over his lines.
---------------
Cory slid down next to Lea who was already sitting on the edge of the stage in the McKinley High auditorium, hunched over her script. They were surrounded by the usual fare; lights, sound equipment and a camera, as crewmembers bustled around them finalizing details for their upcoming scene.
“So… hope you had your mouth rinse after your twelve gazillion coffees,” Cory joked, leaning in towards Lea.
“Yeah, of course,” she replied. “Hope you haven’t been eating peanut butter sandwiches again,” she continued, looking away absently but not unkindly.
Cory had known Lea Michele for a very long time, and this time could tell something was definitely up. She just didn’t seem her usual chirpy self.
“Is everything OK?” he leaned in and whispered to her softly, aware of the staff working around them.
Lea quickly glanced back at Cory.
“What do you mean?”
Cory held his reply, studying her face for a moment. It was the first time they’d actually maintained eye contact for more than a few seconds this morning.
Cory registered that Lea’s eyes didn’t look right. They’d clouded over or something… blackened. Lost their sparkle. That feeling of slight panic washed over his chest again. Something just didn’t feel right.
“You just seem… I dunno… a little upset or something?”
Lea’s brown eyes opened wide.
“Huh? Not at all! Sorry, I think I’m just tired... not used to the early starts already.” She shook her head and looked back down at her script.
Cory smiled back at her and nodded, even though he thought something about Lea’s reply felt a little forced. He looked down, wondering if he was imagining the whole thing.
At that moment a makeup artist reached in to re-paint some gloss on Lea’s lips, Cory deciding to put all the weirdness aside and channel Finn for their final few seconds before shooting.
--------------
Cory looked deeply in Lea’s eyes as he leaned in to kiss her, his right hand reaching up to her face. He could feel the familiar relaxing of her body, preparing to welcome his lips with hers.
“CUT.”
The abrupt term that echoed from the assistant director’s radio broke the moment.
“Cory used his left hand in the wide shot. We’ll need to pick it up from the kiss.”
Even though everyone could clearly hear the director’s instructions through the radio device, the assistant director repeated them to Cory and Lea and the crew, reminding Cory to use his left hand to touch Lea’s face.
As the camera quickly re-positioned and the crew called out the appropriate instructions to each other, Cory pulled back to his starting position to prepare, looking back into Lea’s eyes.
She was staring back at him, her beautiful brown eyes blinking softly.
He looked at her, waiting for his cue to start the kiss. It seemed like an eternity as they watched each other, Cory thinking to himself how pretty she looked. Lea always looked pretty. Of course he’d inhuman if he didn’t notice that.
“And… action.”
Cory continued looking at Lea, drumming up his intense feelings, letting Finn’s love for Rachel wash over him and warm his body. He searched her face for a moment, taking in her gorgeous features, before leaning in, his huge left hand softly clutching her tiny soft cheek.
For the moment before their lips met, he could smell the familiar scent of her perfume and her body once again melted into his touch. Their eyes were merely centimeters apart as they looked at each other, Lea’s face bathed in Rachel’s beautiful look of love. His lips grazed hers, soft and moist, and he opened his mouth to take hers, careful to make sure he kept his tongue well away - one of the known rules of acting. Cory softly pressed his lips into hers, his eyes closing and allowing him to revel in the sweetness for just a moment. Lea’s kisses were always so…
“CUT.”
---------------
Cory closed the door of his trailer and turned to walk towards where his car was parked, stifling a yawn as he ran through a list of home delivery dinner options in his head. He glanced at his watch. 7:54pm. An unbelievably early finish on the set of Glee. The winter chill brushed his hands and he dug them into his pockets. As he crossed towards his car, fumbling for his keys, he heard footsteps to his left.
Pulling her long dark hair out of its pins and shaking it free, Lea was also walking towards her car and absently humming one of their musical numbers from that day. Cory smiled to himself. Even when Lea wasn’t even trying she was still a better singer than most people he’d ever met.
Cory thought it over for a second, and then gave a flirty wolf-whistle as she approached.
Lea’s head shot up.
“Cory! You scared me half to death.” She held her palm to her chest.
Cory laughed.
“Don’t mind me… I often wait here for victims. But mostly I just lurk.” Cory leaned against his vehicle, facing her with his arms crossed.
Lea gave a sudden and soft laugh, before she stopped still for a moment, her face clouding over again.
“Well, g’nite Monteith. See you tomorrow.” She gave him a small nod and turned to her car.
Cory jumped up and bounced over to her.
“Wait…” His arm reached out to stop her. He wasn’t quite sure what he wanted to ask.
“Uh… Want to grab a feed? I’m not sure what to do with my early mark… at this time I’m usually still fighting with my feet on set.” He chuckled.
Lea paused and looked down.
“Thanks, but I’m just gonna go home.”
Cory looked at her quizzically. This definitely wasn’t like Lea. She was always up for social catch up, it’s just that they get so few options. He started to wonder if something bad had gone down in New York. Maybe she saw Theo?
“Lea…” he started. Cory broke the polite space between them, taking a step towards her. He reached a finger out to her chin and gently lifted her face so she was looking at him. She froze up under his touch. She saw the confusion in his face.
“Are you sure everything’s OK?”
Lea’s look quickly sent him from curious to worried. She pulled her face away from his hand and looked down with a large sigh. She frowned.
“Yep. I’m sure.”
“No Lea… c’mon. Something’s up. I know you.” Cory could hear the concern in his voice, and he knew he wasn’t going to let her out of his sight until he found out if there was something he could do to help. It’s not often he saw Lea sad, and it did things to him that felt very uncomfortable.
Lea sighed again and wouldn’t look at him. She stood and took a few deep breaths and Cory stayed silently watching her, waiting to see if she would gather the courage to speak about whatever was bothering her.
“Dammit.” She said it softly as she wobbled from one foot to the other, reaching her hand up to brush her hair out of her face.
Cory suddenly realized he was pushing too far. Whatever was going on, she wasn’t ready to talk about it with him, and it was unfair of him to try and make her.
“Lea…”
“I think the Tweet bothered me,” she cut in abruptly. Before Cory could work out what she was talking about, she continued, barely drawing a breath.
“I’m really sorry, and I don’t want this to worry you. Please, really, don’t worry about it. I don’t know why it bothered me, nothing you’ve said before like that did and I know I always say you’re like a brother to me, and you are like a brother to me, and I really love you too, it’s just that this time it just bothered me and I don’t know why. Don’t worry, it’s really not a thing.”
Lea finally stopped, took a deep breath, and looked up at Cory, who was staring at her with a bewildered expression on his face.
Lea looked around to make sure no one was around, and again brushed the frustrating wisp of hair out of her face. She looked back at Cory, who was looking off to the side, deep in thought, but still with that confused look on his face.
“Cory?” she asked, her confidence oddly but miraculously returning after her sudden outburst. She actually felt better having gotten all this out. It was ridiculous, and would blow over soon, and things would all be back to normal.
Cory looked back at Lea.
“You mean the Tweet I wrote yesterday, about you being like a sister?”
Lea almost grimaced at the words. It was one thing to admit to the man who was like a brother to her his Tweet had hurt her feelings. It was quite another to hear him repeat it out loud to her. She nodded and looked down.
“Mmm hmm. Seriously, don’t worry about it.”
“No I am, I am worried about it,” he started, and Lea’s stomach filled with dread that she’d done the wrong thing. Opened her big mouth again.
Lea turned to walk towards her car, abandoning ship, when Cory reached for her wrist.
“Wait. Please, just wait.”
She stopped and Cory turned away from her, running his fingers through his hair. He thought for a moment and then turned to Lea, speaking gently.
“What do you mean the Tweet bothered you? What bothered you about it?”
Lea’s brown eyes locked with his and she felt a gust of wind blow though her stomach. She glanced around the Paramount parking lot again.
“Do we have to talk about this now? Here?” She whispered.
Cory looked around quickly and towards his car. He reached for Lea’s hand and looked at her, making his offer. She thought for a moment and then slipped her tiny hand in his, letting him lead her to his car. He unlocked her door and opened it for her, before walking over to his side of the car. Lea sighed. Cory was always so thoughtful.
They settled into their seats and Cory turned the heater on low.
“Is that OK?” he asked.
“Perfect,” she answered with a small voice.
They sat in silence for a moment before Cory turned to Lea and looked at her intently.
“So… what upset you about that Tweet?”
As Cory looked at her with his beautiful hazel-brown eyes and that look of genuineness that floors her every time, Lea felt her mouth close up. She had no way to answer him. What could she say? That the Tweet hurt her as soon as she read it? That she hated seeing him call her a sister? That she always gets a little thrill when she sees he’s mentioned her, but this time she felt the exact opposite? That she thinks she might have feelings for him? Urgh. That thought was the worst of all. She needed to make it stop.
Cory was casting his eyes all over her face, trying to read her thoughts. Her throat felt dry.
“I don’t know what to say, Cory. I’m… confused.”
Lea’s small and apologetic shrug to Cory was so adorable, he melted. She was such a cute girl… sure, she was funny, and smart, and talented of course, and definitely sexy, but most of all, she was just so cute. And cute girls had always been a weakness for him.
Cory breathed in and thought about what he was going to say, even though he was already starting to get what was going on here.
“You… didn’t like me calling you your sister… because you… like me?”
He looked right at her when he asked it, suddenly wanting to know her response. In fact, as soon as the words left his mouth he felt choked up with needing to know if that was true… if Lea Michele, one of his best friends, his workmate, had real feelings for him.
But Lea didn’t need to answer Cory. He knew it as soon as he looked at her. Her eyes welled up with tears and she looked down, a single tear dropping into her lap, so vulnerable, so sweet.
Cory’s chest flooded with emotions and he looked around him, anywhere but at her. He felt so bad, like he should be wiping the tears from her face, but his hands wouldn’t move. He didn’t know what to do. He needed time to take this all in. Lea liked him. More than as a friend. It’s something he’d wondered about at the very beginning, in the early days, but he soon realized they were better off as friends and he’d stopped thinking about it. He had always liked her more than the others, he didn’t know why… he had put it down to the fact that their characters were so close and that they had bonded over that. But maybe that wasn’t the case. They’d always had a strong sort of chemistry that the press and fans kept picking up on, otherwise this whole Monchele thing wouldn’t have kept following them around. He knew he liked being around her, being physically close to her, touching her. Cory’s head spun with thoughts as he looked back over to Lea.
She was crying.
Cory’s heart sliced in pain and he instinctively reached out and cradled her in his arms, as much as he could over the awkward car space between them. At first her could feel her resisting, but he squeezed her tight and ran his hand up her back, and she relaxed into his arms, her quiet sobs becoming louder and her chest heaving into his arms. Cory slid over in the seat closer to her and squeezed her harder, rubbing his hand through the back of her hair and down her back, pulling her into him as tightly as he could.
In that moment, Cory felt very, very confused. He smelled her hair and her perfume and breathed her in, for the first time really holding her for minutes on end, feeling her tiny frame pressed into his, her rounded chest rubbing against his arm. He felt short of breath, and his heart pounded. She felt warm and special and he didn’t want to let go.
Cory squeezed her again, and this time, felt Lea squeeze him back, adjusting her arms so they were in a complete chest-to-chest hug, her mouth resting against the side of his neck, her soft breath dancing on his skin. Holding each other there for a while, Cory felt the sudden urge to want her to kiss him on his neck, his stomach stirring with butterflies at the thought. He brought his head down to her neck, his mouth moving closer to her skin, smelling her softness and fighting a desire to cup her tiny face in his hands and pull her mouth towards his. Cory’s heart was beating hard and he was almost sick at the intensity of what was happening. He couldn’t deny that he wanted to kiss her right now, badly. And he wasn’t quite sure what to do about it. Her hug felt amazing. She felt amazing, and he couldn’t help but feel her admission to him was unlocking something inside him too.
Cory suddenly felt Lea pulling back from his grasp, and he followed her lead. She pulled back into her seat, away from him and wiped her eyes, looking into her lap.
“I’m so sorry, Cory. I’m not meaning to cause any trouble. I love you so much, as a friend…”
Suddenly feeling he was losing her and not wanting to, Cory reached over and took one of her small hands in his. Lea looked up at him, her eyes soulful and swollen from tears.
Not knowing what to say, Cory just traced the top of Lea’s hand with his finger, pulling her hand into his and lacing their fingers. She felt her breath stop as he squeezed her hand into his. She squeezed back and they raised their intertwined hands slightly, their breath quickening as they pushed each others fingers into each other’s skin, as if they were wanting to get closer and closer.
Cory looked at Lea and knew his face was giving him away; revealing the way he was feeling to her. Soft lines of emotion crossed his forehead as he looked at her, overwhelmed and confused. Lea looked back at Cory and they both held each other’s gaze, his hand reaching for her other hand and taking it in his, as he pulled her closer to him. They both leant back on the edges of their seats, facing each other, their hands entwined and their eyes locked. Cory knew what was happening here was very extreme, and he wasn’t quite sure what was going on, but he just couldn’t look away. He just wanted to look deeper and deeper into her eyes.
Still holding Lea’s hand, Cory reached around to her lower back and pulled her closer to him, their bodies close. Cory searched her face, wiping a wisp of hair away from her eyes and running his fingers through her hair. He glanced down at her lips, which were slightly parted with desire. He could see the faintest trace of her tongue inside and the moisture of her full lips, his stomach tightening. Cory had kissed her so many times, but always on set, always in front of a room full of people, and never ‘freely’. His desire to take her mouth in his and explore it overcame him so strongly he couldn’t hold back anymore, and he reached both his hands up to Lea’s face and pulled it into his. Cory softly pressed his lips on hers, hearing a faint whimper from her which gave him a sudden twinge all over his body. He opened his eyes and saw hers were closed, stroking the side of her face before pulling her in more firmly, using his lips to guide hers open. Their lips danced across each other’s in a familiar kiss before desire overcame him and Cory gently inserted his tongue into her mouth, a moan escaping his mouth as he found her tongue and laced it with his. Lea moaned back in response, her mouth opening, succumbing to him, and her head fell backwards as Cory’s moved forwards, his soft lips and tongue feasting upon what he’d been so close to so many times, but never really tasted. And Cory couldn’t get enough of Lea Michele’s mouth, which tasted like honey. Their tongues swirled, begging for more, as their arms clawed into each other’s backs, trying to pull each other closer, which was impossible. Cory felt an unbearable tightness building between his legs and within his heart as they kissed and kissed for what felt like a moment frozen in time, their bodies totally light like air.
----------------
Sorry for the abrupt ending, I figure if you want to read any more I can write more chapters to explore what happens next.
Please review! Oh and this story is me losing my FanFic virginity, so please go easy J.
Pairing: Cory and Lea, Monchele, a tiny bit of Finchel
Rating: M for some minor suggestions of adult content
After Kevin accidentally tweeted a ‘Monchele’ photo with Lea and Cory close together in the background, Lea and Cory will be driven to face how they really feel about each other.
This is my first ever fanfic, inspired by both the Monchele and the Finchel.
Please review, and let me know if you’d like any more chapters!
Disclaimer: I have nothing to do with Glee or its characters. Sniff.
Back in LA! Missing home already but got a fun day on set tomorrow.
Cory posted the Tweet as his plane began its descent into Los Angeles, glancing out of the window before casually thumbing through his @replies. He wished he could stretch out his tired legs and curl up in his bed.
Among the variations of ‘welcome back’ and ‘you’re so hot’, was still a frightfully large amount on Monchele-related Tweets:
Monchele confirmed, Cory!
MONCHELE IS SO ON.
Can’t wait to see Lea?? ;) #Monchele #KevinIsOurGod
And that was just the tip of the iceberg.
Ever since Kevin had tweeted that accidental and unfortunate photo with him and Lea in the background last week, his Twitter had been flooded with Monchele comments. And he’d also noticed more articles were popping up on gossip sites about him and Lea ‘secretly dating.’
Cory sighed. He was honestly getting sick of hearing about the photo. He wasn’t dating Lea and never had. Sure, they were the best of friends, and he loved hanging out with her, but that photo captured nothing more than her whispering something quietly to him on set that wasn’t even important, from a very unlucky angle.
He could tell he was a bit irritable, most likely because he’d spent such a fast few days over the thanksgiving weekend snowboarding, seeing his family, and participating in Vancouver’s Grey Cup parade. It had been a lot of fun, but he was utterly exhausted and had another crazy early start tomorrow.
The Monchele Tweets and articles were getting worse, not better, and he felt something inside him snap. He decided to say something to clear it up, even though Glee’s publicist had encouraged him and Lea to just say nothing and let the story die out.
Guys, you’re sweet, but I love Lea only like a sister.
He sent the Tweet without thinking too long about it, feeling slightly jittery when he saw it appear in his timeline. He read it over and relaxed a little. It was clear, to the point, and most importantly, wouldn’t offend Lea. If anything, he knew he’d now be quoted as saying just the “I love Lea’ bit from now until forever. But that’s OK; no one will ever be able to claim that’s all he said.
The fasten seatbelt sign flashed on, and Cory decided to think nothing more of it, turning his phone off and shoving it back into his pocket.
--------------
At the Glee breakfast cart early the next morning Cory spotted Lea from behind, pouring herself a cup of coffee, of course. He often teased her about needing to surgically remove coffee cups from her hand. He could tell her hair had already been styled for the scene they were shooting together that morning; her telltale white socks and black shoes proving she was already dressed as Rachel Berry under that enormous coat.
He slid up beside her and gave her a soft poke in her right side, before ducking to her left side. Lea’s head spun to the right and then quickly left, exhaling loudly when she saw Cory smirking at her.
“Hey,” she said.
“How was New York?” Cory quizzed her, while eyeing off the pastry tray and selecting a blueberry Danish.
Looking down, Lea quietly but enthusiastically replied, “it was really great. Ate way too much with my family and saw a few shows… the usual.”
Lea looked up ay Cory to see him staring warmly and intently at her, the way he always did when she was telling him something, whether it was important or not.
“Sounds great.”
“How was Vancouver?” She asked casually, reaching for a banana.
“Awesome!” Cory beamed at her. “Snowboarded like crazy, saw mom, caught up with some buddies, didn’t get as much sleep as I wanted.”
Lea gave Cory a partial smile in acknowledgement and slunk away to one of the few empty chairs left next to a crewmember. She placed her coffee on the floor and pulled her script out of her coat pocket, burying herself in her lines as she chewed on her banana.
Left standing by the cart, Cory frowned slightly. Guess that conversation was over. Looking at her quietly reading, he felt just the faintest trace of alarm cross his chest. Could Lea be mad at him for something? She was never this quiet, especially after they haven’t seen each other for a few days.
Sighing softly, he put it down to female hormones and wandered back to his trailer to go over his lines.
---------------
Cory slid down next to Lea who was already sitting on the edge of the stage in the McKinley High auditorium, hunched over her script. They were surrounded by the usual fare; lights, sound equipment and a camera, as crewmembers bustled around them finalizing details for their upcoming scene.
“So… hope you had your mouth rinse after your twelve gazillion coffees,” Cory joked, leaning in towards Lea.
“Yeah, of course,” she replied. “Hope you haven’t been eating peanut butter sandwiches again,” she continued, looking away absently but not unkindly.
Cory had known Lea Michele for a very long time, and this time could tell something was definitely up. She just didn’t seem her usual chirpy self.
“Is everything OK?” he leaned in and whispered to her softly, aware of the staff working around them.
Lea quickly glanced back at Cory.
“What do you mean?”
Cory held his reply, studying her face for a moment. It was the first time they’d actually maintained eye contact for more than a few seconds this morning.
Cory registered that Lea’s eyes didn’t look right. They’d clouded over or something… blackened. Lost their sparkle. That feeling of slight panic washed over his chest again. Something just didn’t feel right.
“You just seem… I dunno… a little upset or something?”
Lea’s brown eyes opened wide.
“Huh? Not at all! Sorry, I think I’m just tired... not used to the early starts already.” She shook her head and looked back down at her script.
Cory smiled back at her and nodded, even though he thought something about Lea’s reply felt a little forced. He looked down, wondering if he was imagining the whole thing.
At that moment a makeup artist reached in to re-paint some gloss on Lea’s lips, Cory deciding to put all the weirdness aside and channel Finn for their final few seconds before shooting.
--------------
Cory looked deeply in Lea’s eyes as he leaned in to kiss her, his right hand reaching up to her face. He could feel the familiar relaxing of her body, preparing to welcome his lips with hers.
“CUT.”
The abrupt term that echoed from the assistant director’s radio broke the moment.
“Cory used his left hand in the wide shot. We’ll need to pick it up from the kiss.”
Even though everyone could clearly hear the director’s instructions through the radio device, the assistant director repeated them to Cory and Lea and the crew, reminding Cory to use his left hand to touch Lea’s face.
As the camera quickly re-positioned and the crew called out the appropriate instructions to each other, Cory pulled back to his starting position to prepare, looking back into Lea’s eyes.
She was staring back at him, her beautiful brown eyes blinking softly.
He looked at her, waiting for his cue to start the kiss. It seemed like an eternity as they watched each other, Cory thinking to himself how pretty she looked. Lea always looked pretty. Of course he’d inhuman if he didn’t notice that.
“And… action.”
Cory continued looking at Lea, drumming up his intense feelings, letting Finn’s love for Rachel wash over him and warm his body. He searched her face for a moment, taking in her gorgeous features, before leaning in, his huge left hand softly clutching her tiny soft cheek.
For the moment before their lips met, he could smell the familiar scent of her perfume and her body once again melted into his touch. Their eyes were merely centimeters apart as they looked at each other, Lea’s face bathed in Rachel’s beautiful look of love. His lips grazed hers, soft and moist, and he opened his mouth to take hers, careful to make sure he kept his tongue well away - one of the known rules of acting. Cory softly pressed his lips into hers, his eyes closing and allowing him to revel in the sweetness for just a moment. Lea’s kisses were always so…
“CUT.”
---------------
Cory closed the door of his trailer and turned to walk towards where his car was parked, stifling a yawn as he ran through a list of home delivery dinner options in his head. He glanced at his watch. 7:54pm. An unbelievably early finish on the set of Glee. The winter chill brushed his hands and he dug them into his pockets. As he crossed towards his car, fumbling for his keys, he heard footsteps to his left.
Pulling her long dark hair out of its pins and shaking it free, Lea was also walking towards her car and absently humming one of their musical numbers from that day. Cory smiled to himself. Even when Lea wasn’t even trying she was still a better singer than most people he’d ever met.
Cory thought it over for a second, and then gave a flirty wolf-whistle as she approached.
Lea’s head shot up.
“Cory! You scared me half to death.” She held her palm to her chest.
Cory laughed.
“Don’t mind me… I often wait here for victims. But mostly I just lurk.” Cory leaned against his vehicle, facing her with his arms crossed.
Lea gave a sudden and soft laugh, before she stopped still for a moment, her face clouding over again.
“Well, g’nite Monteith. See you tomorrow.” She gave him a small nod and turned to her car.
Cory jumped up and bounced over to her.
“Wait…” His arm reached out to stop her. He wasn’t quite sure what he wanted to ask.
“Uh… Want to grab a feed? I’m not sure what to do with my early mark… at this time I’m usually still fighting with my feet on set.” He chuckled.
Lea paused and looked down.
“Thanks, but I’m just gonna go home.”
Cory looked at her quizzically. This definitely wasn’t like Lea. She was always up for social catch up, it’s just that they get so few options. He started to wonder if something bad had gone down in New York. Maybe she saw Theo?
“Lea…” he started. Cory broke the polite space between them, taking a step towards her. He reached a finger out to her chin and gently lifted her face so she was looking at him. She froze up under his touch. She saw the confusion in his face.
“Are you sure everything’s OK?”
Lea’s look quickly sent him from curious to worried. She pulled her face away from his hand and looked down with a large sigh. She frowned.
“Yep. I’m sure.”
“No Lea… c’mon. Something’s up. I know you.” Cory could hear the concern in his voice, and he knew he wasn’t going to let her out of his sight until he found out if there was something he could do to help. It’s not often he saw Lea sad, and it did things to him that felt very uncomfortable.
Lea sighed again and wouldn’t look at him. She stood and took a few deep breaths and Cory stayed silently watching her, waiting to see if she would gather the courage to speak about whatever was bothering her.
“Dammit.” She said it softly as she wobbled from one foot to the other, reaching her hand up to brush her hair out of her face.
Cory suddenly realized he was pushing too far. Whatever was going on, she wasn’t ready to talk about it with him, and it was unfair of him to try and make her.
“Lea…”
“I think the Tweet bothered me,” she cut in abruptly. Before Cory could work out what she was talking about, she continued, barely drawing a breath.
“I’m really sorry, and I don’t want this to worry you. Please, really, don’t worry about it. I don’t know why it bothered me, nothing you’ve said before like that did and I know I always say you’re like a brother to me, and you are like a brother to me, and I really love you too, it’s just that this time it just bothered me and I don’t know why. Don’t worry, it’s really not a thing.”
Lea finally stopped, took a deep breath, and looked up at Cory, who was staring at her with a bewildered expression on his face.
Lea looked around to make sure no one was around, and again brushed the frustrating wisp of hair out of her face. She looked back at Cory, who was looking off to the side, deep in thought, but still with that confused look on his face.
“Cory?” she asked, her confidence oddly but miraculously returning after her sudden outburst. She actually felt better having gotten all this out. It was ridiculous, and would blow over soon, and things would all be back to normal.
Cory looked back at Lea.
“You mean the Tweet I wrote yesterday, about you being like a sister?”
Lea almost grimaced at the words. It was one thing to admit to the man who was like a brother to her his Tweet had hurt her feelings. It was quite another to hear him repeat it out loud to her. She nodded and looked down.
“Mmm hmm. Seriously, don’t worry about it.”
“No I am, I am worried about it,” he started, and Lea’s stomach filled with dread that she’d done the wrong thing. Opened her big mouth again.
Lea turned to walk towards her car, abandoning ship, when Cory reached for her wrist.
“Wait. Please, just wait.”
She stopped and Cory turned away from her, running his fingers through his hair. He thought for a moment and then turned to Lea, speaking gently.
“What do you mean the Tweet bothered you? What bothered you about it?”
Lea’s brown eyes locked with his and she felt a gust of wind blow though her stomach. She glanced around the Paramount parking lot again.
“Do we have to talk about this now? Here?” She whispered.
Cory looked around quickly and towards his car. He reached for Lea’s hand and looked at her, making his offer. She thought for a moment and then slipped her tiny hand in his, letting him lead her to his car. He unlocked her door and opened it for her, before walking over to his side of the car. Lea sighed. Cory was always so thoughtful.
They settled into their seats and Cory turned the heater on low.
“Is that OK?” he asked.
“Perfect,” she answered with a small voice.
They sat in silence for a moment before Cory turned to Lea and looked at her intently.
“So… what upset you about that Tweet?”
As Cory looked at her with his beautiful hazel-brown eyes and that look of genuineness that floors her every time, Lea felt her mouth close up. She had no way to answer him. What could she say? That the Tweet hurt her as soon as she read it? That she hated seeing him call her a sister? That she always gets a little thrill when she sees he’s mentioned her, but this time she felt the exact opposite? That she thinks she might have feelings for him? Urgh. That thought was the worst of all. She needed to make it stop.
Cory was casting his eyes all over her face, trying to read her thoughts. Her throat felt dry.
“I don’t know what to say, Cory. I’m… confused.”
Lea’s small and apologetic shrug to Cory was so adorable, he melted. She was such a cute girl… sure, she was funny, and smart, and talented of course, and definitely sexy, but most of all, she was just so cute. And cute girls had always been a weakness for him.
Cory breathed in and thought about what he was going to say, even though he was already starting to get what was going on here.
“You… didn’t like me calling you your sister… because you… like me?”
He looked right at her when he asked it, suddenly wanting to know her response. In fact, as soon as the words left his mouth he felt choked up with needing to know if that was true… if Lea Michele, one of his best friends, his workmate, had real feelings for him.
But Lea didn’t need to answer Cory. He knew it as soon as he looked at her. Her eyes welled up with tears and she looked down, a single tear dropping into her lap, so vulnerable, so sweet.
Cory’s chest flooded with emotions and he looked around him, anywhere but at her. He felt so bad, like he should be wiping the tears from her face, but his hands wouldn’t move. He didn’t know what to do. He needed time to take this all in. Lea liked him. More than as a friend. It’s something he’d wondered about at the very beginning, in the early days, but he soon realized they were better off as friends and he’d stopped thinking about it. He had always liked her more than the others, he didn’t know why… he had put it down to the fact that their characters were so close and that they had bonded over that. But maybe that wasn’t the case. They’d always had a strong sort of chemistry that the press and fans kept picking up on, otherwise this whole Monchele thing wouldn’t have kept following them around. He knew he liked being around her, being physically close to her, touching her. Cory’s head spun with thoughts as he looked back over to Lea.
She was crying.
Cory’s heart sliced in pain and he instinctively reached out and cradled her in his arms, as much as he could over the awkward car space between them. At first her could feel her resisting, but he squeezed her tight and ran his hand up her back, and she relaxed into his arms, her quiet sobs becoming louder and her chest heaving into his arms. Cory slid over in the seat closer to her and squeezed her harder, rubbing his hand through the back of her hair and down her back, pulling her into him as tightly as he could.
In that moment, Cory felt very, very confused. He smelled her hair and her perfume and breathed her in, for the first time really holding her for minutes on end, feeling her tiny frame pressed into his, her rounded chest rubbing against his arm. He felt short of breath, and his heart pounded. She felt warm and special and he didn’t want to let go.
Cory squeezed her again, and this time, felt Lea squeeze him back, adjusting her arms so they were in a complete chest-to-chest hug, her mouth resting against the side of his neck, her soft breath dancing on his skin. Holding each other there for a while, Cory felt the sudden urge to want her to kiss him on his neck, his stomach stirring with butterflies at the thought. He brought his head down to her neck, his mouth moving closer to her skin, smelling her softness and fighting a desire to cup her tiny face in his hands and pull her mouth towards his. Cory’s heart was beating hard and he was almost sick at the intensity of what was happening. He couldn’t deny that he wanted to kiss her right now, badly. And he wasn’t quite sure what to do about it. Her hug felt amazing. She felt amazing, and he couldn’t help but feel her admission to him was unlocking something inside him too.
Cory suddenly felt Lea pulling back from his grasp, and he followed her lead. She pulled back into her seat, away from him and wiped her eyes, looking into her lap.
“I’m so sorry, Cory. I’m not meaning to cause any trouble. I love you so much, as a friend…”
Suddenly feeling he was losing her and not wanting to, Cory reached over and took one of her small hands in his. Lea looked up at him, her eyes soulful and swollen from tears.
Not knowing what to say, Cory just traced the top of Lea’s hand with his finger, pulling her hand into his and lacing their fingers. She felt her breath stop as he squeezed her hand into his. She squeezed back and they raised their intertwined hands slightly, their breath quickening as they pushed each others fingers into each other’s skin, as if they were wanting to get closer and closer.
Cory looked at Lea and knew his face was giving him away; revealing the way he was feeling to her. Soft lines of emotion crossed his forehead as he looked at her, overwhelmed and confused. Lea looked back at Cory and they both held each other’s gaze, his hand reaching for her other hand and taking it in his, as he pulled her closer to him. They both leant back on the edges of their seats, facing each other, their hands entwined and their eyes locked. Cory knew what was happening here was very extreme, and he wasn’t quite sure what was going on, but he just couldn’t look away. He just wanted to look deeper and deeper into her eyes.
Still holding Lea’s hand, Cory reached around to her lower back and pulled her closer to him, their bodies close. Cory searched her face, wiping a wisp of hair away from her eyes and running his fingers through her hair. He glanced down at her lips, which were slightly parted with desire. He could see the faintest trace of her tongue inside and the moisture of her full lips, his stomach tightening. Cory had kissed her so many times, but always on set, always in front of a room full of people, and never ‘freely’. His desire to take her mouth in his and explore it overcame him so strongly he couldn’t hold back anymore, and he reached both his hands up to Lea’s face and pulled it into his. Cory softly pressed his lips on hers, hearing a faint whimper from her which gave him a sudden twinge all over his body. He opened his eyes and saw hers were closed, stroking the side of her face before pulling her in more firmly, using his lips to guide hers open. Their lips danced across each other’s in a familiar kiss before desire overcame him and Cory gently inserted his tongue into her mouth, a moan escaping his mouth as he found her tongue and laced it with his. Lea moaned back in response, her mouth opening, succumbing to him, and her head fell backwards as Cory’s moved forwards, his soft lips and tongue feasting upon what he’d been so close to so many times, but never really tasted. And Cory couldn’t get enough of Lea Michele’s mouth, which tasted like honey. Their tongues swirled, begging for more, as their arms clawed into each other’s backs, trying to pull each other closer, which was impossible. Cory felt an unbearable tightness building between his legs and within his heart as they kissed and kissed for what felt like a moment frozen in time, their bodies totally light like air.
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Sorry for the abrupt ending, I figure if you want to read any more I can write more chapters to explore what happens next.
Please review! Oh and this story is me losing my FanFic virginity, so please go easy J.