Eight (Kind of, but not Really) Crazy Nights [1/8]
Title: Eight (Kind of, but not Really) Crazy Nights
Pairings/Characters: brief Quinn/Sam & Rachel/Finn, eventual Rachel/Quinn, Rachel's family, New Directions, Judy Fabray
Rating: PG-13
Length: ~1,500/~22,200
Summary: Quinn finds herself celebrating Hanukkah with Rachel.
Author's Note: This is why I always finish fics ahead of time. This one just snuck up on me and there isn't much I can do but write as I go. And it's stressing. I have a lot of respect for those of you who update consistently yet don't write ahead.
It simultaneously shocked and worried Quinn that Rachel didn’t have an entire spreadsheet or timetable set up by glee club practice that afternoon. There was merely a comment of, “I’ll wait for you after Cheerios practice before we go to my house tomorrow. If I remember correctly, you get out at precisely 4:46.”
Quinn almost asked how Rachel knew exactly what time she finished showering but thought better of it when she remembered that when she finished she usually yelled into the auditorium while Rachel was practicing for the dying cat to be shot. The memory made her cringe a little. Instead she just nodded and smiled and, going against every single unwritten rule, she pulled a chair close to her own and motioned for Rachel to sit.
That night, Quinn put her Google skills to work and looked up anything and everything she could about Hanukkah. It wasn’t overly complicated but this was Rachel Berry and things were always complicated with that girl. It also required a midnight trip to Wal-Mart.
XXXXXXXXXX
In true Rachel Berry style, she was waiting outside the Cheerios locker room when Quinn stepped out. The Cheerios that followed gave looks of disgust but nothing was said after Quinn glared at each one of them, daring them to speak.
“I’m dressed alright, right?” Quinn asked before pulling on her Cheerios jacket. Her outfit was simple: a long-sleeved white blouse and dressy jeans. Rachel had said it was casual but a little bit of dress couldn’t hurt at all.
Rachel gave a soft smile and a little nod. “You look lovely, Quinn.”
She wasn’t sure what she was expecting but Quinn was slightly shocked at the normalness of Rachel’s house. With how flamboyant and extravagant Kurt was (practically her only exposure to a gay guy in her life) she was half-expecting completely immaculate and outlandish decorations. There were, of course, pictures of Rachel everywhere but other than that, the décor was minimal. She spotted the menorah on the fireplace mantle (with a picture of Rachel on each side, go figure) and a Star of David hanging above it.
“Quinn?”
Quinn snapped her attention back to Rachel and nodded absentmindedly.
“I asked if you wanted something to eat.”
“Oh…sure.”
Rachel nodded and gestured toward the kitchen. Quinn hopped up on a barstool at the kitchen island while Rachel pulled out various containers of fresh fruit and two bottles of Vitamin Water.
“Thanks.”
Rachel nodded. “So…”
“Yeah.”
There was an awkward silence while the pair picked through the containers of fruit and a small giggle when they both realized they were both picking out the red grapes and leaving the green ones.
“I hope you like pizza,” Rachel finally said. “It’s our first night tradition to have pizza and watch a movie; I do believe it’s my turn to choose this year. I hope you like Funny Girl.”
Quinn shrugged. “I’ve never seen it.”
It looked as though someone had just kicked Rachel’s puppy when Quinn confessed what was, apparently, the ultimate sin in the book of Rachel. “That’s incredibly tragic, Quinn.”
“I’m…sorry?”
“No worries!” Rachel stashed the remainder of the fruit back in the refrigerator and bounced out of the kitchen. “I’m certain that you’ll thoroughly enjoy it.”
Rachel’s dads, Leroy and Hiram, arrived with pizza shortly thereafter. After formal introductions were made and Quinn was welcomed into the Berry home they put the pizza in the oven to keep warm and Rachel retrieved a brand new box of candles to light for the menorah. Of course, Quinn didn’t understand a word of any of the prayers but she stood silently next to Rachel and watched Hiram light the candle on the right with the shammus (she was proud of herself for remembering that) and smiled at the pictures of baby Rachel on the mantle.
After the lighting and the prayers Quinn settled on the couch next to Rachel and, as promised, Rachel put Funny Girl in the DVD player.
They were halfway through the movie when the doorbell rang; Rachel paused the movie while Leroy answered the door. A tall figure stepped inside and Quinn immediately rolled her eyes. Rachel whimpered a bit and dropped her pizza on the coffee table.
“We’ll leave you alone,” Hiram said as he stood to follow his husband to the kitchen.
“What are you doing here, Finn?” Rachel snapped.
“You invited me over, remember?”
“I invited you before I found out you lied to me for the better part of a year.”
“So…like…I’m not invited anymore?”
“You’re that dense?” Quinn growled. “No, you’re not invited. Leave.”
“That’s kinda harsh.”
Quinn rolled her eyes at how incredibly dimwitted Finn really was. She’d seen Rachel broken already, she didn’t want to see salt rubbed in that wound. Quinn stood from her position on the couch and marched to the foyer, grabbed Finn’s shirt collar, and dragged him back to the front door.
“You broke her, you ass. Leave her alone.”
“What, you guys are all friends now?”
“She needs one.”
“Like anything you did to her wasn’t as bad as what I did or worse?”
“You think I don’t know that? The difference between you and me is that I won’t do it again. You will.”
“Whatever.”
“Yeah, go whatever yourself.”
Quinn didn’t wait for the front door to slam before she returned to the living room and dropped back down on the couch. She jumped a little when Rachel’s hand touched her knee and an appreciative smile was flashed at her.
“You didn’t have to do that.”
“I was enjoying the movie and he interrupted it. And he’s just irritating.”
“Thank you.” Rachel’s eyes were soft and bright, genuinely thanking Quinn with every piece of her. Quinn smiled at the intensity of the emotion in Rachel’s eyes, noticing for the first time how incredibly expressive they were. The chocolate orbs were almost literally windows to Rachel’s soul. They were beautiful.
Quinn tore her gaze away from Rachel and shook her head a few times to get those thoughts out of her mind. It was normal, though, right? Eyes were completely normal to get lost in, especially ones as expressive as Rachel’s. Completely normal.
“Why are you giving me a chance?” Quinn asked softly, Rachel’s eyes fading from her mind and Finn’s accusation returning.
“You know what it’s like to be me, at the bottom of everything. You understand what it’s like to be broken and walked on. You extended your friendship and, while I do have mild concerns that this is some elaborate prank, I’m willing to take what friendship I can get at the moment.”
“It’s not a prank.”
“That’s very good to hear. Now, you’ve been interrupted from the movie for far too long.” Rachel turned her attention back to the screen and called for her dads to rejoin them to finish the movie.
Quinn did genuinely like the movie and wanted to tell Rachel that she did “Don’t Rain on My Parade” even better than Barbra but she feared that the brunette would either be so ecstatic that she’d run into something and hurt herself or be livid that anyone thought there was a person on Earth better than Barbra Streisand.
Rachel’s dads, after taking the dishes to the kitchen, returned with a neatly wrapped box and handed it to Rachel. Rachel, in turn, reached under the couch and presented one envelope to her dads and an envelope to Quinn.
“Hold on!” Quinn hopped up and ran to her purse to retrieve a small card out of it and presented it to Rachel.
“Quinn, you didn’t have to…”
“I wanted to. And you didn’t have to, either.”
Quinn carefully opened her envelope while Rachel opened her card and the blonde couldn’t help but laugh at the $15 iTunes gift card that fell out; completely identical to the one she’d bought for Rachel.
“Great minds think alike,” Rachel said with a grin. “Thank you very much, Quinn.”
“You’re welcome. And thanks.”
Rachel’s gift from her dads was a book of sheet music from various Disney classics and Rachel had given her dads a gift certificate to Breadstix. Quinn sat, minorly uncomfortable, as Rachel exchanged hugs with her dads but stopped seconds before wrapping her arms around Quinn and settling for a smile and another “thank you”. The blonde tried to remember the last time she’d hugged either of her parents. She drew a blank.
XXXXXXXXXX
“I can pick you up tomorrow if you want,” Quinn said after she’d grabbed her jacket. The Berry men had asked if she wanted to stay a little longer but Quinn politely declined stating she had homework and two tests to study for. “It’s kind of on my way.”
“That’s very nice of you. And eco-friendly. I’m always looking for new ways to be green.” Rachel grinned and bounced a few times.
“So that’s a yes?”
“It is. I’ll see you in the morning, Quinn.”
Quinn nodded and her arms twitched a little, trying to figure out if it was appropriate to hug Rachel or not. She didn’t.
“Yeah, see you in the morning.”
Pairings/Characters: brief Quinn/Sam & Rachel/Finn, eventual Rachel/Quinn, Rachel's family, New Directions, Judy Fabray
Rating: PG-13
Length: ~1,500/~22,200
Summary: Quinn finds herself celebrating Hanukkah with Rachel.
Author's Note: This is why I always finish fics ahead of time. This one just snuck up on me and there isn't much I can do but write as I go. And it's stressing. I have a lot of respect for those of you who update consistently yet don't write ahead.
It simultaneously shocked and worried Quinn that Rachel didn’t have an entire spreadsheet or timetable set up by glee club practice that afternoon. There was merely a comment of, “I’ll wait for you after Cheerios practice before we go to my house tomorrow. If I remember correctly, you get out at precisely 4:46.”
Quinn almost asked how Rachel knew exactly what time she finished showering but thought better of it when she remembered that when she finished she usually yelled into the auditorium while Rachel was practicing for the dying cat to be shot. The memory made her cringe a little. Instead she just nodded and smiled and, going against every single unwritten rule, she pulled a chair close to her own and motioned for Rachel to sit.
That night, Quinn put her Google skills to work and looked up anything and everything she could about Hanukkah. It wasn’t overly complicated but this was Rachel Berry and things were always complicated with that girl. It also required a midnight trip to Wal-Mart.
XXXXXXXXXX
In true Rachel Berry style, she was waiting outside the Cheerios locker room when Quinn stepped out. The Cheerios that followed gave looks of disgust but nothing was said after Quinn glared at each one of them, daring them to speak.
“I’m dressed alright, right?” Quinn asked before pulling on her Cheerios jacket. Her outfit was simple: a long-sleeved white blouse and dressy jeans. Rachel had said it was casual but a little bit of dress couldn’t hurt at all.
Rachel gave a soft smile and a little nod. “You look lovely, Quinn.”
She wasn’t sure what she was expecting but Quinn was slightly shocked at the normalness of Rachel’s house. With how flamboyant and extravagant Kurt was (practically her only exposure to a gay guy in her life) she was half-expecting completely immaculate and outlandish decorations. There were, of course, pictures of Rachel everywhere but other than that, the décor was minimal. She spotted the menorah on the fireplace mantle (with a picture of Rachel on each side, go figure) and a Star of David hanging above it.
“Quinn?”
Quinn snapped her attention back to Rachel and nodded absentmindedly.
“I asked if you wanted something to eat.”
“Oh…sure.”
Rachel nodded and gestured toward the kitchen. Quinn hopped up on a barstool at the kitchen island while Rachel pulled out various containers of fresh fruit and two bottles of Vitamin Water.
“Thanks.”
Rachel nodded. “So…”
“Yeah.”
There was an awkward silence while the pair picked through the containers of fruit and a small giggle when they both realized they were both picking out the red grapes and leaving the green ones.
“I hope you like pizza,” Rachel finally said. “It’s our first night tradition to have pizza and watch a movie; I do believe it’s my turn to choose this year. I hope you like Funny Girl.”
Quinn shrugged. “I’ve never seen it.”
It looked as though someone had just kicked Rachel’s puppy when Quinn confessed what was, apparently, the ultimate sin in the book of Rachel. “That’s incredibly tragic, Quinn.”
“I’m…sorry?”
“No worries!” Rachel stashed the remainder of the fruit back in the refrigerator and bounced out of the kitchen. “I’m certain that you’ll thoroughly enjoy it.”
Rachel’s dads, Leroy and Hiram, arrived with pizza shortly thereafter. After formal introductions were made and Quinn was welcomed into the Berry home they put the pizza in the oven to keep warm and Rachel retrieved a brand new box of candles to light for the menorah. Of course, Quinn didn’t understand a word of any of the prayers but she stood silently next to Rachel and watched Hiram light the candle on the right with the shammus (she was proud of herself for remembering that) and smiled at the pictures of baby Rachel on the mantle.
After the lighting and the prayers Quinn settled on the couch next to Rachel and, as promised, Rachel put Funny Girl in the DVD player.
They were halfway through the movie when the doorbell rang; Rachel paused the movie while Leroy answered the door. A tall figure stepped inside and Quinn immediately rolled her eyes. Rachel whimpered a bit and dropped her pizza on the coffee table.
“We’ll leave you alone,” Hiram said as he stood to follow his husband to the kitchen.
“What are you doing here, Finn?” Rachel snapped.
“You invited me over, remember?”
“I invited you before I found out you lied to me for the better part of a year.”
“So…like…I’m not invited anymore?”
“You’re that dense?” Quinn growled. “No, you’re not invited. Leave.”
“That’s kinda harsh.”
Quinn rolled her eyes at how incredibly dimwitted Finn really was. She’d seen Rachel broken already, she didn’t want to see salt rubbed in that wound. Quinn stood from her position on the couch and marched to the foyer, grabbed Finn’s shirt collar, and dragged him back to the front door.
“You broke her, you ass. Leave her alone.”
“What, you guys are all friends now?”
“She needs one.”
“Like anything you did to her wasn’t as bad as what I did or worse?”
“You think I don’t know that? The difference between you and me is that I won’t do it again. You will.”
“Whatever.”
“Yeah, go whatever yourself.”
Quinn didn’t wait for the front door to slam before she returned to the living room and dropped back down on the couch. She jumped a little when Rachel’s hand touched her knee and an appreciative smile was flashed at her.
“You didn’t have to do that.”
“I was enjoying the movie and he interrupted it. And he’s just irritating.”
“Thank you.” Rachel’s eyes were soft and bright, genuinely thanking Quinn with every piece of her. Quinn smiled at the intensity of the emotion in Rachel’s eyes, noticing for the first time how incredibly expressive they were. The chocolate orbs were almost literally windows to Rachel’s soul. They were beautiful.
Quinn tore her gaze away from Rachel and shook her head a few times to get those thoughts out of her mind. It was normal, though, right? Eyes were completely normal to get lost in, especially ones as expressive as Rachel’s. Completely normal.
“Why are you giving me a chance?” Quinn asked softly, Rachel’s eyes fading from her mind and Finn’s accusation returning.
“You know what it’s like to be me, at the bottom of everything. You understand what it’s like to be broken and walked on. You extended your friendship and, while I do have mild concerns that this is some elaborate prank, I’m willing to take what friendship I can get at the moment.”
“It’s not a prank.”
“That’s very good to hear. Now, you’ve been interrupted from the movie for far too long.” Rachel turned her attention back to the screen and called for her dads to rejoin them to finish the movie.
Quinn did genuinely like the movie and wanted to tell Rachel that she did “Don’t Rain on My Parade” even better than Barbra but she feared that the brunette would either be so ecstatic that she’d run into something and hurt herself or be livid that anyone thought there was a person on Earth better than Barbra Streisand.
Rachel’s dads, after taking the dishes to the kitchen, returned with a neatly wrapped box and handed it to Rachel. Rachel, in turn, reached under the couch and presented one envelope to her dads and an envelope to Quinn.
“Hold on!” Quinn hopped up and ran to her purse to retrieve a small card out of it and presented it to Rachel.
“Quinn, you didn’t have to…”
“I wanted to. And you didn’t have to, either.”
Quinn carefully opened her envelope while Rachel opened her card and the blonde couldn’t help but laugh at the $15 iTunes gift card that fell out; completely identical to the one she’d bought for Rachel.
“Great minds think alike,” Rachel said with a grin. “Thank you very much, Quinn.”
“You’re welcome. And thanks.”
Rachel’s gift from her dads was a book of sheet music from various Disney classics and Rachel had given her dads a gift certificate to Breadstix. Quinn sat, minorly uncomfortable, as Rachel exchanged hugs with her dads but stopped seconds before wrapping her arms around Quinn and settling for a smile and another “thank you”. The blonde tried to remember the last time she’d hugged either of her parents. She drew a blank.
XXXXXXXXXX
“I can pick you up tomorrow if you want,” Quinn said after she’d grabbed her jacket. The Berry men had asked if she wanted to stay a little longer but Quinn politely declined stating she had homework and two tests to study for. “It’s kind of on my way.”
“That’s very nice of you. And eco-friendly. I’m always looking for new ways to be green.” Rachel grinned and bounced a few times.
“So that’s a yes?”
“It is. I’ll see you in the morning, Quinn.”
Quinn nodded and her arms twitched a little, trying to figure out if it was appropriate to hug Rachel or not. She didn’t.
“Yeah, see you in the morning.”