Once Upon A Time In Lima (Part Four)
Title: Once Upon A Time In Lima
Author: hopenight
Artist: breea1
Genre: Slash, Fantasy, Romance, Humor, Alternate Universe
Word Count: 15, 226
Rating: PG-13
Characters/Pairings: Finn Hudson, Will Schuester, Noah "Puck" Puckerman, Rachel Berry, Brittany, Quinn Fabray, Terri Schuester, Will/Finn, Rachel/Brittany, past Will/Terri, past Quinn/Finn, past Quinn/Puck
Warnings/Spoilers: boy kissing, age difference, AU
Author's Note: I would like to tank the people over at the winnners community for just being them! I would also like to thank starryskies/ gleeful_beatfor just being there! I would like to thank my beta squire_conrad
Summary: We are shown early on that life isn’t like a fairytale or a legend. However, there are those rare cases when something magical happens. Finn Hudson’s case is in the more extreme version of things. After breaking into a house on a dare, he meets Will who is a really nice guy with a killer voice. Problem is that he’s kind of cursed to look like a horrible beast.
Suddenly Finn finds himself spending time with Will and falling a little bit in love. However, his best friend and his ex-girlfriend are keeping a secret. He has to help start a lesbian relationship. And in the midst of all this, he needs to make his happy ending. No said being in your own fairytale would be easy after all. It just makes life so much more interesting.
“All our young lives we search for someone to love. Someone who makes us complete. We choose partners and change partners. We dance to a song of heartbreak and hope. All the while imagining if somewhere, somehow, there’s someone perfect who might be searching for us.” -Kevin Arnold ‘The Wonder Years’
Love sucks. It really does. Despite what romantic comedies may tell us, the pithy girl almost never gets the handsome loner because of her big heart. The shy, chubby girl is always the friend and almost never becomes the girlfriend. Most guys are dicks in high school. There’s no change of heart until college.
And despite what most people say, some of the girls just don’t want a boyfriend until college.
There’s no magic spell. No change of heart which suddenly makes everything better. If real life was a romantic comedy…well at the end everything would be tied up in a nice big bow.
Good thing that life if isn’t a romantic comedy then, right?
No, this story is about life being a fairytale or a legend. There’s conflict in those stories and sometimes the hero never really gets recognized. The Little Match Girl will still die alone in that alleyway. The pretty girl with the cold hands who walks the side of the road will always lure boys in and leave their jackets strewn over her tombstone for them to find. It is heart wrenching and terrible. It makes us mad and sad at the same time.
The majority of the stories are a bit happier. The wicked stepsisters are always punished for being cruel to Cinderella. The Good Samaritan is given a million dollars because the guy he helped was really Donald Trump. The Ice Queen is always defeated by the power of friendship and love. The dead mother of a person about to die always gets to the priest in the nick of time so he could pass onto the next life in peace.
At this point in the tale, there is doubt. Love sucks and dreams don’t come true. There’s no hope for the token couple. Due to the fact that they are so thick-headed they never consider that the other person may feel the same way. They have begun to doubt themselves and their feelings. In turn as the story is read, you begin to doubt them and the story.
The comfort is this.
In fairytales, romantic comedies, and sometimes in real life: Beauty always gets the Beast.
Even if they are being idiots.
“You know, it seems to me that, I mean, except for being a little mentally ill, she’s pretty normal.” -Sam Benny and Joon
Finn was jittery come Monday morning. It felt like the time when he was ten and he ate some of his mom’s coffee mix because he saw the movie ‘George of the Jungle’. It made him twitchy for about two days. And he learned because Brendon Frasier does it doesn’t mean that he should do it.
Whatever, he thought he could swing from vines if he ate the freakin’ coffee.
It was worse than that though. He was on the highest form of alert.
He had forgotten about the annual Halloween dance at McKinley High.
This year it was Ladies Choice.
Needless to say, since his break-up with Quinn a fair number of girls (and some guys) wanted Finn to take them to the dance. Finn spent most of homeroom hiding in the out of order men’s room. When the bell ran, he sprinted to first period.
There was a hoard waiting for him outside Mr. Watson’s room. There was quick maneuvering, silent let downs, and his ass getting grabbed at a couple points as he made a dive for the safety of the classroom.
He wondered if this was how the guys of Van Halen or KISS felt.
He took a nervous seat next to Rachel, who was looking at him with amusement in her eyes.
“Hey Rache,” greeted the football player as he nervously looked around for sudden admirers popping up.
“Looks like someone’s pretty popular today,” said the brunette with a laugh.
“People keep on trying to grab me and touch me,” said Finn nervously, “I think I’m…Rachel! Stop laughing!”
“Sorry but you have to admit it’s a little bit funny.”
“Not to me. I think I’m becoming like paranoid guy in the Harry Potter books.”
“Mad-Eye Moody?” said Artie Abrams helpfully. He and Tina Cohen-Chang were exchanging shy looks and holding hands.
“Yeah that’s the guy,” said Finn with a quick grin directed at the couple, “Constant Vigilance!”
Rachel snorted in laughter again covering her face with her hands. After a couple minutes, she stopped and looked at Finn.
“I was seriously considering asking you.”
Finn began to twitch nervously in his seat. He didn’t want to reject Rachel because she was really cool and nice. But she just wasn’t his type.
Apparently, he was learning, his type had horns and fangs with a killer voice.
“But Brittany convinced me that I should go to the dance with her instead. Then she asked if she could pet my hair.”
Finn stared not entirely sure how to answer that statement. So he smiled at her and gave her the thumbs up. Rachel fiddled with a piece of her long hair shyly.
“So what are you going as?”
“Mrs. Lovett from Sweeney Todd,” answered Rachel. Seeing Finn’s confused look, “It’s about a barber who kills people and then his landlady bakes them into pies. It’s a popular musical.”
“That sounds pretty messed up.”
“Oh it is,” said Rachel with a nod in agreement, “But it’s the best I can do on short notice. Plus I wasn’t expecting to get asked to this dance.’
Finn opened his mouth to respond but Mr. Watson begins to call them to the front so they can present their project.
After class, Brittany is waiting for Rachel. The brunette stared at the blonde like this was some sort of minor miracle. Brittany just grinned and held Rachel’s hand as they walked through the oddly silent hall.
Finn would think about how nice that sight is if there wasn’t another swarm of desperate girls/boys barreling down on him. It’s a good thing that he did speed training this summer.
“Curiouser and curiouser!” -Alice Alice in Wonderland
Will was watching a movie when Finn stumbled into house. The beast turned and stared. Finn was muddied, soot cover, leaves were sticking from his hair, some garbage stuck to his clothing, and the football player was missing a shoe.
“Rough day?” asked Will with a raised eyebrow.
Finn glared before picking off a banana peel and tossing it in the trash.
“Dance this week. It’s ladies choice. I have total sympathy for celebrities with the scary fangirls,” said the quarterback tersely as he grabbed a cookie and shoved it into his mouth. He looked miserable, wet, and he reeked.
“You stink,” said the beast helpfully.
“And your hair is obscenely long and curly.”
“For the last time it’s a mane.”
“Because you’re the ferocious beast,” said Finn patronizingly.
Will bared his teeth at him. Finn smirked slightly. The beast pouted and crossed his arms.
“See if I ever help you in Spanish again.”
“I am so sorry oh great Master Beast.”
The two stood there. Will was frozen with his teeth bared. Finn was standing there with an expression that clearly said ‘bring it bitch’. However, the two of them couldn’t take it anymore and broke down into gales of laughter. After a couple minutes of just laughing, calming down, and breaking down into laughter all over again the two stood there grinning stupidly at each other. Will pointed upstairs.
“Do you want to use my shower?”
“God yes! Do you mind if I washed some of my clothes here too?”
Will could feel his cheeks tinge pink. He shrugged before saying.
“Sure if you want.”
Finn grinned like Will has given him the keys to the city and a never ending supply of candy in a Ferrari. It made the beast feel warm inside. He watched as Finn slid off his muddy shoes before disappearing up the stairs. Will was left in the kitchen staring at the muddy footprints trying to calm down his nervous heart.
He stared at the mud that coated the floor from Finn’s shoes. He sighed before going to get a mop to clean up. He slowly began to push the mop back and forth watching at the caked mud was slowly washed away. He heard the shower turn on.
He closed his eyes and tried to think about anything else then Finn in the shower. Then he heard a voice drift down from upstairs.
“I can’t fight this feeling any longer
And yet I’m still afraid to let it flow
What started out as friendship has grown stronger
I only wished I had the strength to let it show
And even as I wander I’m keeping you in sight
You’re a candle in the window on a cold dark winter’s night…”
It was Finn. Will stopped what he was doing and cocked his pointed ears. His superhuman hearing took over as he listened to the tenor. He heard the desperation, the need, the want in the teen’s voice. There was no theatrics just Finn. It made Will’s heart pound faster. His senses went into overload. The beastly part of himself was screaming at him to take what was his. With great difficulty, Will pushed that part back down.
So he did the only thing that made sense, he began to cook. He was hungry anyways and food always soothed the savage beast; especially if that food was Will’s homemade pizza. Soon Will was focusing on kneading the dough (tough with claws but manageable), spreading the sauce, making sure the cheese was even on top. He turned on the radio and hummed as he focused on the task at hand.
“Are you making pizza?” asked Finn peering over the beast’s shoulder. Will felt himself tense. Finn smelled like his soap and shampoo. Plus he was wearing a pair of beat up sweatpants and one of Will’s t-shirts. The beast swallowed thickly trying not to think about how the shirt was tight across Finn’s chest.
“Yep,” said Will hoping that his voice didn’t squeak too loudly when he said it. He spared a shy smile at Finn. The quarterback grinned in response.
“Anything I can do to help?”
“Nah I’m good here. But you can set the table if you want.”
Finn nodded and went to go get the plates and cups. The tinny voice from the radio was the only sound in the kitchen. However, the silence wasn’t awkward instead it felt homey and comfortable. Will reflected on his relationship with Terri briefly and realized that they were never able to be like this. Just being able to be in the same room without small talk; Terri never really understood how music could fill the silence in just fine most days.
Finn however seemed to not mind the music. It was a classic rock station and the teenager knew most of the songs well enough to sing along and bobbed his head to the beat. Though it didn’t seem like he noticed that he was doing it; which endeared him even more to Will.
Finn disappeared briefly to change his clothing from the washer to the dryer. So Will took this as a opportune moment to talk.
“So besides the psycho fans,” began Will breaking the silence, “how was school?”
The quarterback walked out of the laundry room and over to where Will was.
“Awesome. I got an A on that Spanish test you helped me study for. I may actually be able to pass this quarter,” said Finn with a wide grin firmly in place as he perched himself on the edge of Will’s counter.
“That’s great, Finn. I knew you could do it!” cheered Will on as he pulled out the pan from the oven. He expertly slid the pizza off the tray and onto a plate. The smell of sauce and cheese filled the air. It smelled good, like home. Will realized with some sadness that the house hasn’t felt like a home in long time.
Not until Finn had broke into his life.
Will spared a glance at the football player who was exclaiming about how good the food looked and how awesome it was going to be. The beast could only smile.
Dinner was filled with light chatter. Finn talked about football, school, how Rachel and Brittany were doing. He talked about how bummed he was that his friend Puck didn’t seemed to be interested in their friendship anymore. Will talked about the book he was reading and how learning the viola was going for him. The conversation was easy, light-hearted.
No words were said about the feelings that stretched wide and deep between them. Both of them were too shy to broach the subject with the other.
Will realized he fell hard and fast when Finn brushed against his claw as he left. And all he could think about was that Finn touched him, however accidental.
God he had it bad. He needed a drink.
“The best way to make friends is before you need them.” -Ethel Barrymore
Finn ended up going to the dance alone. After a couple of solid days of diving out of the way of random mobs and hiding at Will’s house, people got the message. And he thanked God every single day for that.
Besides he decided that going alone would be a lot more fun than anything else. He was pretty much going to split his time between the football team and the girls. He had to promise Rachel and Brittany each a dance as well. Even though he warned them that he was a sucky dancer because he had no rhythm.
“You’re a knight,” said Rachel with a raised eyebrow, “How appropriate.”
She was dressed in a ripped gown. Her long hair was pinned back in a messy bun. In her hand was a bloody cleaver and she was balancing a fake pie.
“And you look like you escaped a mental asylum.”
Rachel grinned, “Really? Because that was what I was going for!”
Finn stared for several beats. Mainly because he was revising his opinion on the theatre geeks in the school, they were just plain strange. Brittany appeared behind Rachel several moments later. She was dressed as a sexy secret agent.
“I’m the hot spy chick from Chuck,” said Brittany airily, “You’re a knight.”
“Rachel and I have already established this,” he paused for a moment before saying, “I’m King Arthur.”
“Like Bradley James King Arthur or like old dude from the book King Arthur?”
Rachel looked impressed, “You watch Merlin?”
“I like the guy who plays Uther. He was Giles in Buffy,” said Brittany with a shrug of her shoulders. She paused staring off dreamily, “I should have been Buffy.”
“I think you are quite fetching as Sarah,” offered Rachel shyly. Brittany stared for a moment before pressing a kiss to Rachel’s hair.
“You’re just so cute!”
Rachel flushed crimson but looked happy. Finn laughed and watched the two drift onto the dance floor. He went over to the football table to talk to his teammates. The night passed by in a flurry of pounding Top 40 music. It was a flurry of getting dragged out onto the dance floor by Rachel and Brittany, playing pranks on his fellow teammates, and directing their attentions from the lower ranks of the school onto each other.
Mainly because the lower levels of the social food chain at William McKinley deserved one night to just be themselves and not worry about swirlies. Finn was happy enough to give it them. He was surprised halfway through the night when Puck gripped his shoulder.
“Hey Puck! What’s up man?”
His friend’s face was set in a serious way.
“We need to talk man,” said Puck and made a gesture for Finn to follow him.
Finn silently followed him from the school and out onto the bleachers.
“What’s up, Puck?”
Puck sighed and sat down. He stared Finn right in the eyes and said as bluntly as he could.
“Quinn’s pregnant. It’s mine.”
The quarterback stared at his best friend in shock. He didn’t even know that they were together. Then he thought about seeing them together all the time after he and Quinn broke up. He nodded slowly.
“That’s heavy man.”
“I slept with her while you two were together,” said his best friend, “I’m so sorry man.”
That was when Finn saw red. Even though he suspected cheating, it still stung finding out. He dropped the sword and punched Puck clear across the face. He heard a satisfying crack of his fist meeting bone. Puck staggered back and Finn tackled him to the ground. He gripped the Superman shirt Puck was wearing.
“You son of a bitch!” screamed Finn in rage, “You slept with Quinn while we were still together?! What the hell were you thinking you son of a bitch?!”
“I wasn’t! We were drunk!”
“And isn’t that a surprise?!”
“Well maybe if you paid more attention to her while you two were dating!”
“Oh hell no! You don’t get to turn this on me! This is about you and Quinn going together behind my goddamn back! I trusted you man!”
“You can still trust me!”
“Not after you fucked my ex-girlfriend while we were still together! Go to hell Puckerman.”
Finn let go of Puck’s shirt and glanced around. He was relieved that they were the only two on the football field. With one last glance at the slumped figure of Puck, Finn stalked angrily off the field.
He couldn’t go back into the dance. He knew that Quinn was still in there. Plus he wondered how many people knew what happened between Puck and Quinn and the resulting aftermath. If he was the last person that found out, there was going to be hell to pay.
He closed his eyes as he felt a light drizzle begin to mist from the sky. He was hoping the cool autumn rain would cool down his anger.
He stalked down the road and went to the only place he could think of: Will’s house.
“There are only two ways to live your life. One way is to live as though nothing is a miracle. The other is to live as though everything is a miracle.” -Albert Einstein
It was raining when Will got a knock on his back door. Blinking, he hit the pause button stopping the movie (classic Dracula) and went to the door opening it. He stopped seeing Finn dressed in a knight’s costume. His hair was plastered against his head. A lost expression was shining in his dark brown eyes.
“My ex-girlfriend cheated on me while we were together with my best friend. Now she’s pregnant with his kid. I’m pissed as hell. And I think everyone found out before me.”
“Oh Finn,” said Will as he pulled him into a hug, “I’m so sorry.”
“Thanks,” whispered Finn against the bare skin of the beast’s shoulder. He closed his eyes and smelled the scent of musk and soap. Will smelled sweat and the tears’ salt mixing in with Old Spice and acne cleanser.
They stood there hugging each other, enjoying.
“Do you want some hot chocolate?” asked Will as they pulled away.
“No I’m good,” said Finn with a sad smile, “I was just hoping to spend some time here. I really needed someone right now.”
“No I understand. I was watching Dracula if you wanted to join me.”
Finn watched as Will turned to go to the living room. He ran forward and grabbed Will’s wrist. With an easy and gentle tug, he pulled the beast around.
“Finn?”
“I’m sorry if I’m misreading the situation,” began Finn slowly, “But I’ve been considering everyone’s feelings but my own. I really like you, Will. You’re smart, funny, and really nice to me. Plus I’m certain you wouldn’t sleep around on me. And all I have been thinking about for the past couple weeks was how much I wanted to kiss you.”
Will felt his eyes go wide.
“Are you serious?”
“I don’t care if you’re a beast. You think I’m smart. You believe in me. And that’s all I care about,” murmured Finn before pulling Will into a kiss. It felt weird because he was kissing elongated teeth and not lips. His hands brushed the base of Will’s horns and he could feel his claws digging into his shoulder. Still Finn kissed him like the world was going to end because his had come crashing down tonight.
They pulled away and bumped their heads together. Their eyes were alight with passion and shyness.
Then, as in all fairy tales, something amazing happened.
Finn watched as the horns disappear and the elongated teeth receded. He could feel the claws retract and hoped that it didn’t get him too deep. He watched as the long mane of curls became a short messy mop of hair. Will’s posture improved.
Suddenly, a decidedly less beastly Will stood in front of Finn.
“Is something wrong?” asked Will nervously. Finn shook his head before drawing him into another kiss.
There would be time for him to discover later. Right now he just wanted to kiss Will again.
Epilogue
Author: hopenight
Artist: breea1
Genre: Slash, Fantasy, Romance, Humor, Alternate Universe
Word Count: 15, 226
Rating: PG-13
Characters/Pairings: Finn Hudson, Will Schuester, Noah "Puck" Puckerman, Rachel Berry, Brittany, Quinn Fabray, Terri Schuester, Will/Finn, Rachel/Brittany, past Will/Terri, past Quinn/Finn, past Quinn/Puck
Warnings/Spoilers: boy kissing, age difference, AU
Author's Note: I would like to tank the people over at the winnners community for just being them! I would also like to thank starryskies/ gleeful_beatfor just being there! I would like to thank my beta squire_conrad
Summary: We are shown early on that life isn’t like a fairytale or a legend. However, there are those rare cases when something magical happens. Finn Hudson’s case is in the more extreme version of things. After breaking into a house on a dare, he meets Will who is a really nice guy with a killer voice. Problem is that he’s kind of cursed to look like a horrible beast.
Suddenly Finn finds himself spending time with Will and falling a little bit in love. However, his best friend and his ex-girlfriend are keeping a secret. He has to help start a lesbian relationship. And in the midst of all this, he needs to make his happy ending. No said being in your own fairytale would be easy after all. It just makes life so much more interesting.
“All our young lives we search for someone to love. Someone who makes us complete. We choose partners and change partners. We dance to a song of heartbreak and hope. All the while imagining if somewhere, somehow, there’s someone perfect who might be searching for us.” -Kevin Arnold ‘The Wonder Years’
Love sucks. It really does. Despite what romantic comedies may tell us, the pithy girl almost never gets the handsome loner because of her big heart. The shy, chubby girl is always the friend and almost never becomes the girlfriend. Most guys are dicks in high school. There’s no change of heart until college.
And despite what most people say, some of the girls just don’t want a boyfriend until college.
There’s no magic spell. No change of heart which suddenly makes everything better. If real life was a romantic comedy…well at the end everything would be tied up in a nice big bow.
Good thing that life if isn’t a romantic comedy then, right?
No, this story is about life being a fairytale or a legend. There’s conflict in those stories and sometimes the hero never really gets recognized. The Little Match Girl will still die alone in that alleyway. The pretty girl with the cold hands who walks the side of the road will always lure boys in and leave their jackets strewn over her tombstone for them to find. It is heart wrenching and terrible. It makes us mad and sad at the same time.
The majority of the stories are a bit happier. The wicked stepsisters are always punished for being cruel to Cinderella. The Good Samaritan is given a million dollars because the guy he helped was really Donald Trump. The Ice Queen is always defeated by the power of friendship and love. The dead mother of a person about to die always gets to the priest in the nick of time so he could pass onto the next life in peace.
At this point in the tale, there is doubt. Love sucks and dreams don’t come true. There’s no hope for the token couple. Due to the fact that they are so thick-headed they never consider that the other person may feel the same way. They have begun to doubt themselves and their feelings. In turn as the story is read, you begin to doubt them and the story.
The comfort is this.
In fairytales, romantic comedies, and sometimes in real life: Beauty always gets the Beast.
Even if they are being idiots.
“You know, it seems to me that, I mean, except for being a little mentally ill, she’s pretty normal.” -Sam Benny and Joon
Finn was jittery come Monday morning. It felt like the time when he was ten and he ate some of his mom’s coffee mix because he saw the movie ‘George of the Jungle’. It made him twitchy for about two days. And he learned because Brendon Frasier does it doesn’t mean that he should do it.
Whatever, he thought he could swing from vines if he ate the freakin’ coffee.
It was worse than that though. He was on the highest form of alert.
He had forgotten about the annual Halloween dance at McKinley High.
This year it was Ladies Choice.
Needless to say, since his break-up with Quinn a fair number of girls (and some guys) wanted Finn to take them to the dance. Finn spent most of homeroom hiding in the out of order men’s room. When the bell ran, he sprinted to first period.
There was a hoard waiting for him outside Mr. Watson’s room. There was quick maneuvering, silent let downs, and his ass getting grabbed at a couple points as he made a dive for the safety of the classroom.
He wondered if this was how the guys of Van Halen or KISS felt.
He took a nervous seat next to Rachel, who was looking at him with amusement in her eyes.
“Hey Rache,” greeted the football player as he nervously looked around for sudden admirers popping up.
“Looks like someone’s pretty popular today,” said the brunette with a laugh.
“People keep on trying to grab me and touch me,” said Finn nervously, “I think I’m…Rachel! Stop laughing!”
“Sorry but you have to admit it’s a little bit funny.”
“Not to me. I think I’m becoming like paranoid guy in the Harry Potter books.”
“Mad-Eye Moody?” said Artie Abrams helpfully. He and Tina Cohen-Chang were exchanging shy looks and holding hands.
“Yeah that’s the guy,” said Finn with a quick grin directed at the couple, “Constant Vigilance!”
Rachel snorted in laughter again covering her face with her hands. After a couple minutes, she stopped and looked at Finn.
“I was seriously considering asking you.”
Finn began to twitch nervously in his seat. He didn’t want to reject Rachel because she was really cool and nice. But she just wasn’t his type.
Apparently, he was learning, his type had horns and fangs with a killer voice.
“But Brittany convinced me that I should go to the dance with her instead. Then she asked if she could pet my hair.”
Finn stared not entirely sure how to answer that statement. So he smiled at her and gave her the thumbs up. Rachel fiddled with a piece of her long hair shyly.
“So what are you going as?”
“Mrs. Lovett from Sweeney Todd,” answered Rachel. Seeing Finn’s confused look, “It’s about a barber who kills people and then his landlady bakes them into pies. It’s a popular musical.”
“That sounds pretty messed up.”
“Oh it is,” said Rachel with a nod in agreement, “But it’s the best I can do on short notice. Plus I wasn’t expecting to get asked to this dance.’
Finn opened his mouth to respond but Mr. Watson begins to call them to the front so they can present their project.
After class, Brittany is waiting for Rachel. The brunette stared at the blonde like this was some sort of minor miracle. Brittany just grinned and held Rachel’s hand as they walked through the oddly silent hall.
Finn would think about how nice that sight is if there wasn’t another swarm of desperate girls/boys barreling down on him. It’s a good thing that he did speed training this summer.
“Curiouser and curiouser!” -Alice Alice in Wonderland
Will was watching a movie when Finn stumbled into house. The beast turned and stared. Finn was muddied, soot cover, leaves were sticking from his hair, some garbage stuck to his clothing, and the football player was missing a shoe.
“Rough day?” asked Will with a raised eyebrow.
Finn glared before picking off a banana peel and tossing it in the trash.
“Dance this week. It’s ladies choice. I have total sympathy for celebrities with the scary fangirls,” said the quarterback tersely as he grabbed a cookie and shoved it into his mouth. He looked miserable, wet, and he reeked.
“You stink,” said the beast helpfully.
“And your hair is obscenely long and curly.”
“For the last time it’s a mane.”
“Because you’re the ferocious beast,” said Finn patronizingly.
Will bared his teeth at him. Finn smirked slightly. The beast pouted and crossed his arms.
“See if I ever help you in Spanish again.”
“I am so sorry oh great Master Beast.”
The two stood there. Will was frozen with his teeth bared. Finn was standing there with an expression that clearly said ‘bring it bitch’. However, the two of them couldn’t take it anymore and broke down into gales of laughter. After a couple minutes of just laughing, calming down, and breaking down into laughter all over again the two stood there grinning stupidly at each other. Will pointed upstairs.
“Do you want to use my shower?”
“God yes! Do you mind if I washed some of my clothes here too?”
Will could feel his cheeks tinge pink. He shrugged before saying.
“Sure if you want.”
Finn grinned like Will has given him the keys to the city and a never ending supply of candy in a Ferrari. It made the beast feel warm inside. He watched as Finn slid off his muddy shoes before disappearing up the stairs. Will was left in the kitchen staring at the muddy footprints trying to calm down his nervous heart.
He stared at the mud that coated the floor from Finn’s shoes. He sighed before going to get a mop to clean up. He slowly began to push the mop back and forth watching at the caked mud was slowly washed away. He heard the shower turn on.
He closed his eyes and tried to think about anything else then Finn in the shower. Then he heard a voice drift down from upstairs.
“I can’t fight this feeling any longer
And yet I’m still afraid to let it flow
What started out as friendship has grown stronger
I only wished I had the strength to let it show
And even as I wander I’m keeping you in sight
You’re a candle in the window on a cold dark winter’s night…”
It was Finn. Will stopped what he was doing and cocked his pointed ears. His superhuman hearing took over as he listened to the tenor. He heard the desperation, the need, the want in the teen’s voice. There was no theatrics just Finn. It made Will’s heart pound faster. His senses went into overload. The beastly part of himself was screaming at him to take what was his. With great difficulty, Will pushed that part back down.
So he did the only thing that made sense, he began to cook. He was hungry anyways and food always soothed the savage beast; especially if that food was Will’s homemade pizza. Soon Will was focusing on kneading the dough (tough with claws but manageable), spreading the sauce, making sure the cheese was even on top. He turned on the radio and hummed as he focused on the task at hand.
“Are you making pizza?” asked Finn peering over the beast’s shoulder. Will felt himself tense. Finn smelled like his soap and shampoo. Plus he was wearing a pair of beat up sweatpants and one of Will’s t-shirts. The beast swallowed thickly trying not to think about how the shirt was tight across Finn’s chest.
“Yep,” said Will hoping that his voice didn’t squeak too loudly when he said it. He spared a shy smile at Finn. The quarterback grinned in response.
“Anything I can do to help?”
“Nah I’m good here. But you can set the table if you want.”
Finn nodded and went to go get the plates and cups. The tinny voice from the radio was the only sound in the kitchen. However, the silence wasn’t awkward instead it felt homey and comfortable. Will reflected on his relationship with Terri briefly and realized that they were never able to be like this. Just being able to be in the same room without small talk; Terri never really understood how music could fill the silence in just fine most days.
Finn however seemed to not mind the music. It was a classic rock station and the teenager knew most of the songs well enough to sing along and bobbed his head to the beat. Though it didn’t seem like he noticed that he was doing it; which endeared him even more to Will.
Finn disappeared briefly to change his clothing from the washer to the dryer. So Will took this as a opportune moment to talk.
“So besides the psycho fans,” began Will breaking the silence, “how was school?”
The quarterback walked out of the laundry room and over to where Will was.
“Awesome. I got an A on that Spanish test you helped me study for. I may actually be able to pass this quarter,” said Finn with a wide grin firmly in place as he perched himself on the edge of Will’s counter.
“That’s great, Finn. I knew you could do it!” cheered Will on as he pulled out the pan from the oven. He expertly slid the pizza off the tray and onto a plate. The smell of sauce and cheese filled the air. It smelled good, like home. Will realized with some sadness that the house hasn’t felt like a home in long time.
Not until Finn had broke into his life.
Will spared a glance at the football player who was exclaiming about how good the food looked and how awesome it was going to be. The beast could only smile.
Dinner was filled with light chatter. Finn talked about football, school, how Rachel and Brittany were doing. He talked about how bummed he was that his friend Puck didn’t seemed to be interested in their friendship anymore. Will talked about the book he was reading and how learning the viola was going for him. The conversation was easy, light-hearted.
No words were said about the feelings that stretched wide and deep between them. Both of them were too shy to broach the subject with the other.
Will realized he fell hard and fast when Finn brushed against his claw as he left. And all he could think about was that Finn touched him, however accidental.
God he had it bad. He needed a drink.
“The best way to make friends is before you need them.” -Ethel Barrymore
Finn ended up going to the dance alone. After a couple of solid days of diving out of the way of random mobs and hiding at Will’s house, people got the message. And he thanked God every single day for that.
Besides he decided that going alone would be a lot more fun than anything else. He was pretty much going to split his time between the football team and the girls. He had to promise Rachel and Brittany each a dance as well. Even though he warned them that he was a sucky dancer because he had no rhythm.
“You’re a knight,” said Rachel with a raised eyebrow, “How appropriate.”
She was dressed in a ripped gown. Her long hair was pinned back in a messy bun. In her hand was a bloody cleaver and she was balancing a fake pie.
“And you look like you escaped a mental asylum.”
Rachel grinned, “Really? Because that was what I was going for!”
Finn stared for several beats. Mainly because he was revising his opinion on the theatre geeks in the school, they were just plain strange. Brittany appeared behind Rachel several moments later. She was dressed as a sexy secret agent.
“I’m the hot spy chick from Chuck,” said Brittany airily, “You’re a knight.”
“Rachel and I have already established this,” he paused for a moment before saying, “I’m King Arthur.”
“Like Bradley James King Arthur or like old dude from the book King Arthur?”
Rachel looked impressed, “You watch Merlin?”
“I like the guy who plays Uther. He was Giles in Buffy,” said Brittany with a shrug of her shoulders. She paused staring off dreamily, “I should have been Buffy.”
“I think you are quite fetching as Sarah,” offered Rachel shyly. Brittany stared for a moment before pressing a kiss to Rachel’s hair.
“You’re just so cute!”
Rachel flushed crimson but looked happy. Finn laughed and watched the two drift onto the dance floor. He went over to the football table to talk to his teammates. The night passed by in a flurry of pounding Top 40 music. It was a flurry of getting dragged out onto the dance floor by Rachel and Brittany, playing pranks on his fellow teammates, and directing their attentions from the lower ranks of the school onto each other.
Mainly because the lower levels of the social food chain at William McKinley deserved one night to just be themselves and not worry about swirlies. Finn was happy enough to give it them. He was surprised halfway through the night when Puck gripped his shoulder.
“Hey Puck! What’s up man?”
His friend’s face was set in a serious way.
“We need to talk man,” said Puck and made a gesture for Finn to follow him.
Finn silently followed him from the school and out onto the bleachers.
“What’s up, Puck?”
Puck sighed and sat down. He stared Finn right in the eyes and said as bluntly as he could.
“Quinn’s pregnant. It’s mine.”
The quarterback stared at his best friend in shock. He didn’t even know that they were together. Then he thought about seeing them together all the time after he and Quinn broke up. He nodded slowly.
“That’s heavy man.”
“I slept with her while you two were together,” said his best friend, “I’m so sorry man.”
That was when Finn saw red. Even though he suspected cheating, it still stung finding out. He dropped the sword and punched Puck clear across the face. He heard a satisfying crack of his fist meeting bone. Puck staggered back and Finn tackled him to the ground. He gripped the Superman shirt Puck was wearing.
“You son of a bitch!” screamed Finn in rage, “You slept with Quinn while we were still together?! What the hell were you thinking you son of a bitch?!”
“I wasn’t! We were drunk!”
“And isn’t that a surprise?!”
“Well maybe if you paid more attention to her while you two were dating!”
“Oh hell no! You don’t get to turn this on me! This is about you and Quinn going together behind my goddamn back! I trusted you man!”
“You can still trust me!”
“Not after you fucked my ex-girlfriend while we were still together! Go to hell Puckerman.”
Finn let go of Puck’s shirt and glanced around. He was relieved that they were the only two on the football field. With one last glance at the slumped figure of Puck, Finn stalked angrily off the field.
He couldn’t go back into the dance. He knew that Quinn was still in there. Plus he wondered how many people knew what happened between Puck and Quinn and the resulting aftermath. If he was the last person that found out, there was going to be hell to pay.
He closed his eyes as he felt a light drizzle begin to mist from the sky. He was hoping the cool autumn rain would cool down his anger.
He stalked down the road and went to the only place he could think of: Will’s house.
“There are only two ways to live your life. One way is to live as though nothing is a miracle. The other is to live as though everything is a miracle.” -Albert Einstein
It was raining when Will got a knock on his back door. Blinking, he hit the pause button stopping the movie (classic Dracula) and went to the door opening it. He stopped seeing Finn dressed in a knight’s costume. His hair was plastered against his head. A lost expression was shining in his dark brown eyes.
“My ex-girlfriend cheated on me while we were together with my best friend. Now she’s pregnant with his kid. I’m pissed as hell. And I think everyone found out before me.”
“Oh Finn,” said Will as he pulled him into a hug, “I’m so sorry.”
“Thanks,” whispered Finn against the bare skin of the beast’s shoulder. He closed his eyes and smelled the scent of musk and soap. Will smelled sweat and the tears’ salt mixing in with Old Spice and acne cleanser.
They stood there hugging each other, enjoying.
“Do you want some hot chocolate?” asked Will as they pulled away.
“No I’m good,” said Finn with a sad smile, “I was just hoping to spend some time here. I really needed someone right now.”
“No I understand. I was watching Dracula if you wanted to join me.”
Finn watched as Will turned to go to the living room. He ran forward and grabbed Will’s wrist. With an easy and gentle tug, he pulled the beast around.
“Finn?”
“I’m sorry if I’m misreading the situation,” began Finn slowly, “But I’ve been considering everyone’s feelings but my own. I really like you, Will. You’re smart, funny, and really nice to me. Plus I’m certain you wouldn’t sleep around on me. And all I have been thinking about for the past couple weeks was how much I wanted to kiss you.”
Will felt his eyes go wide.
“Are you serious?”
“I don’t care if you’re a beast. You think I’m smart. You believe in me. And that’s all I care about,” murmured Finn before pulling Will into a kiss. It felt weird because he was kissing elongated teeth and not lips. His hands brushed the base of Will’s horns and he could feel his claws digging into his shoulder. Still Finn kissed him like the world was going to end because his had come crashing down tonight.
They pulled away and bumped their heads together. Their eyes were alight with passion and shyness.
Then, as in all fairy tales, something amazing happened.
Finn watched as the horns disappear and the elongated teeth receded. He could feel the claws retract and hoped that it didn’t get him too deep. He watched as the long mane of curls became a short messy mop of hair. Will’s posture improved.
Suddenly, a decidedly less beastly Will stood in front of Finn.
“Is something wrong?” asked Will nervously. Finn shook his head before drawing him into another kiss.
There would be time for him to discover later. Right now he just wanted to kiss Will again.
Epilogue