Started my daily ficlets to make the
hiatus pass, then decided to keep going with a
second cycle, and then a
third cycle Now here comes cycle 4! :D
"PARALLEL"
Will & Finn
He’d told Finn this from the start, his darkest moment, recruiting him: He saw a lot of himself in him. Back then, that was more or less just a line, but as the weeks had gone by, it had become evident he wasn’t that far off on his judgment.
He felt a connection with him, more and more of a reflection existing. There were several parts to it, which all added up to how Finn was someone he related to.
It had all started with the passion for music. He’d seen that, watching the football player singing his heart out in the shower. Watching him, standing there, he swore he saw himself, younger and carrying that fiery passion for music. It didn’t matter that so many people out there would try and put him down for it. It wasn’t for any other reason that deep inside him, there was a beat, going on and on, without fail. And all he needed to do was to embrace it.
That - and his need to recruit a male lead for Rachel, of course - had pushed him to do what he’d done to get him in Glee Club. He’d reasoned with himself that it would all be worth it in the end.
And then Terri had told him she was pregnant… and before long, he wasn’t the only one with a baby on the way. When he’d come to him, Will knew that he had to help him… help both of them. It was simple instinct, more than as an educator… He wouldn’t stand by and do nothing. They were similar enough that he felt he could really help him.
That was part of why he’d gone and told Terri about it. There was no way in which it didn’t make sense to him. In hindsight, he wondered how different things might have been if he hadn’t told her about it. What would Terri have done then, if he hadn’t pointed her in the direction of the cheerleader and her ‘little problem.’ Would she have told him the truth? Would finding out earlier, have made him forgive her? Would he still love her?
If it wasn’t that their lives seemed to run concurrently enough, when he’d been thrown the curve that ‘his baby’ wasn’t a baby, Finn had made the swerve too, finding that ‘his baby’ wasn’t his baby. They’d both been betrayed by the one they loved.
Will somehow wasn’t upset with Quinn at all. When she’d been at his home, he hadn’t understood what he was really walking in on, and even now he could only guess.
But then there’d been that look in her eyes, and that hug. Immediately he could feel… she was scared, confused. Once he’d found out she was looking to entrust him with her child, the moment had taken on a whole other meaning. Coupled with the exchange they’d had in the rehearsal room one day, he understood how she had been trying to look out for her baby. It may not have let her off the hook as far as how she’d lied to Finn, but he could understand it.
He would come to see that this understanding, coupled with how he and Finn were similar, would be one of the best tools he could have in trying to help him mend some of the hurt he was feeling.
It wouldn’t happen until after Sectionals though. In a way, it was lucky that he’d been forced to withdraw himself from the competition. If not, he would have been out there, unable to go and appeal to Finn when the others needed him. Part of him would have referred to leave him time to deal with it a bit on his own. But at the same time, he could experience the rush of Sectionals, of being with his friends again. When he’d seen him again, Will could tell he was already starting to recover.
Some days, he’d want to tell Finn the truth, about his recruitment into Glee Club, the lie he’d used to get him in there. He felt maybe at this point, after all this time, it wouldn’t be so upsetting. But with all that happened, all he’d found out, Will wasn’t sure it would help too much. He was loaded with distrust, betrayal… he wouldn’t handle it well.
The first Glee practice after the holiday break, Will had arrived to find Finn standing outside the door, looking in. He’d turned to look at Will for a second before looking back inside. “Finn?” he spoke to him.
“I’ll be right in, Mr. Schue,” he promised.
“You take your time, alright?” he gave him a nod. “Whenever you’re ready.” Finn looked at him, nodded back. Will knew it would be hard, after being away for the holidays, to come back to his new reality.
He came in a few minutes later. Will threw him a friendly smile, once he’d joined the ranks again.
They both had to get used to how different things would be now. Will knew it would be harder for him, but they’d both make it through somehow. If he could rebuild his life, so could Finn.
THE END
PREVIOUS DAYS
[Cycle 1] [Cycle 2] [Cycle 3][Cycle 4]
[64] [65] [66] [67] [68] [69] [70] [71] [72] [73] [74] [75] [76] [77] [78] Suggestion Drop Off Title: "Parallel"
Pairing: None; Will and Finn
Rating: G
Summary: Will reflects on how similar he and Finn are.
Spoilers: 1x13 Sectionals