Fic: Sure Fire Winners (part 4)
Title: Sure Fire Winners (part 3/?)
Rating: PG-13 I think
Pairing: Will/Finn
Word Count: ~2,660 in this part. (6,800 so far, in four chapters.)
Summary: There's some partying. Funny underwear. And a phone call. And something upsetting.
Comments: The soundtrack for this part would be as follows: Adam Lambert - For Your Entertainment, Doors - Alabama Song (Whisky Bar)
PREVIOUS PARTS: One | Two | Three
Their last performance was a great success. The McKinley students actually gave them a roaring standing ovation. Everyone had been on their feet dancing as they did their version of Adam Lambert's "For Your Entertainment" as the last song of the set.
Finn concentrated on performing so hard he barely had time to notice Will standing at the side of the stage, jamming along with them, mouthing the words to the songs. But Finn did notice, of course. Because it had been a weird day, with weird little thoughts and feelings popping up from the back of his mind. Yesterday he didn't have any trouble breathing near Will. Today, things were different. Today he stumbled on words and bumped into things when Will was near. Today he was so confused his head was starting to ache.
The song came to an end and after taking their bows they swiftly walked off the stage to where Will was standing. There was a lot of hugging and laughing and cheering. Finn ended up hugging the happily smiling man too, and as he did that, he just couldn't stop himself from nuzzling Will's neck lightly and taking in his scent. It was a wonderful smell, a mixture of Will and aftershave. Finn was terrified he'd get caught doing this and would at least be pushed away. But nothing happened. Will just gave his back a few quick rubs and laughed happily as the parted.
Since most of them weren't in a hurry, they decided to spend a few more moments together before saying goodbyes.
"So.. what are you guys up to tonight?" Will said after they'd all calmed down and were now scattered backstage with their water and soda bottles. Puck hit his fist in the air shouting "keg partyyyy!" which made most of the guys laugh out loud and a few of the girls roll their eyes wildly. Finn laughed too as Will lifted his hands and stuck his fingers in his ears to make clear he didn't approve their plans but that he wasn't going to say anything about it either.
They continued talking about everything and nothing at all for about a good half an hour, laughing a lot and making promises to see each other soon, maybe even have a Glee club get-together during summer. Finn listened to everyone talking with a sad smile on his face. He couldn't imagine what life would be like without these people. They were talking about keeping in touch, but he knew only a few of them would actually do it.
He tried to ignore the painful thought of not seeing Will anymore - he knew the man wouldn't disappear. Of course he'd be here every day after they were gone, just like he'd been here before they started their freshman year. He'd be here, teaching and running the Glee club, inspiring other young people, smiling his wonderful smile to those who came out of their shells during their first Glee club weeks.
So, Finn knew he could just come back some day to see him. The problem was, he couldn't come up with any excuses to do that. He imagined himself walking the hallways and 'accidentally' bumping into Will, but couldn't see the sense in that. Their encounter would only last a few minutes anyway, and then the man would be gone. Again. He would have to look him walk away. Again. He couldn't hang around at his old school every day, could he?
And seeing him "some day" wasn't enough. The thought about spending a week, two, the whole summer without talking to him was driving him crazy. And while agonizing over all of this, he also wanted to punch himself in the face. He still didn't want to admit he had a crush on Will. He wasn't gay, he'd never been gay. He tried to convince himself it was just about him having to leave it all behind, that he was just making these feelings up when really he was panicking about the life ahead. Maybe he was just trying to find someone or something to blame for his sense of loss, and to find something that would force him to stay in the city, where it was safe and familiar.
But why did he pick Will to be his anchor when it could've as easily been Rachel?
---
Will was thinking about Finn when he was walking to his car in the parking lot. The guy been acting so strange all day. It wasn't the normal goofy, sometimes so adorably clueless Finn this time, no. Today was something different. He'd been avoiding Will's eyes all day. The strange behaviour towards him was so obvious that there was no way Will could be imagining it. Will tried to think of reasons why he would be mad at him, but couldn't think of any. Things were great between them, they'd always been. He caught himself thinking about Finn as a good friend, as someone very important.
He unlocked the car doors, sat inside and slammed the door shut. He was thinking about stuff they'd said to each other today, things he could've missed. Had he said something wrong? Insulted Finn in some way? He came up with nothing. In fact, they hadn't even talked that much since that moment in the men's room and..
Suddenly the look on Finn's face in the hallway at lunch time came back to him.
And the way Finn stopped breathing when Will touched his shoulder in the men's room.
The way Finn looked at him when he thought he didn't notice.
The way he mumbled "it seems I'm done with girls".
The way he hugged Will just a bit too tight, pressing his face into his neck.
The way Will let that happen, closing his eyes just for a second as he felt Finn's cheek touch the tender skin of his neck..
Will stared straight ahead for a few minutes, then let his forehead drop against his arms resting on the steering wheel.
---
Finn had to sit down. So he did.
He wasn't sure what he was sitting on, but he knew he was feeling dizzy and couldn't stand straight. He rubbed his face with his hands, shook his head and looked around him to take in everything that was going on. He saw Puck dancing on a table with a girl, singing along to a song Finn didn't know. The girl was giggling and swaying dangerously near the table's edge in her high heels. Then there was Santana ja Brittany, sitting in lawn chairs and sipping on bright pink drinks with umbrellas in them. They were pointing at people and giggling. He saw a couple making out in the far corner of the small backyard, and Mike talking to Tina, who looked a bit angry.
Quinn was sitting on the edge of the pool, her legs in the water, trying to ignore a drunken guy hitting on her. Then there were about 20 more people around the yard and he had no idea who they were.
It was dark already, and the music was really loud. There were beercans and plastic punch glasses everywhere, paper plates and snacks scattered on tables and chairs. Finn rubbed his face again and thought about getting a glass of water. He was feeling really nauseous. But just then Puck appeared out of nowhere, slapping him in the head, laughing loudly.
"Huuuudsooooon, my man, GET UP, I can't deal with these women all by myself!" he shouted and slumped next to Finn, causing the whole bench to tip over, throwing them both on the ground. Puck half howled, half laughed out loud, and after a few seconds, Finn joined in. He made a conscious decision to enjoy the night and stop moping around. It was, after all, their graduation night, they had the whole house to themselves and a dozen pretty girls, all punch-drunk and flirty.
"Mister Puckerman. Get me up and show me the way to the next whisky bar," Finn said, grabbing his best friend's arm for support. Puck laughed and started singing The Doors song, while getting on his wobbly feet.
"Yes, private Hudson, I do think it is time for some serious shots."
---
Half an hour later Finn found himself in the pool with a dark-haired girl he'd never seen before. They were kinda making out, but also dancing together, and they weren't the only ones. There were at least a dozen people in the pool, splashing water around, dancing, kissing, singing or just fooling around and being loud just because being loud was allowed.
After a while, Finn got out of the pool with the girl on his heels. The girl pushed Finn down on a sun chair, on his back and climbed on top of him, not really minding some people clapping their hands together in appreciation.
Finn let the girl kiss him, not really bothering to kiss back. The girl was really pretty, she might have been Santana's cousin or even sister, and maybe she was. Finn didn't know or didn't care. He didn't even know her name. His head was spinning so he closed his eyes and tried to concentrate on kissing the girl back.
But he didn't enjoy it. He didn't want to kiss this drunken girl who tasted like cigarettes and beer and bacon flavoured snacks, he didn't want her hands all over his body and her lips on his chest and neck. He wondered if it would be rude to just tell her to stop, but then decided it didn't matter. (Guys can say 'no' too, right? He was pretty sure Puck would disagree on this, that there was some kind of a rule against ditching girls who were willing to make out or more, so he wouldn't be asking.)
So, the next minute Finn was walking away from the girl, bumping into lawn chairs and tables, ignoring the loud, nasty insults the girl was shouting at his back. He made it inside the house, looking for peace and quiet and a place to lie down, but the livingroom was already occupied by loud party people. He shook his head, ignoring someone calling his name, and made his way upstairs to Puck's room.
The room was empty, so he walked in, closed the door and lay down on the bed. He looked around. Puck had already started packing. There were half-empty boxes lying around, as well as a pile of clothes he was about to pack or throw away for whatever. Finn spotted some yellow Futurama themed boxer briefs and, although seeing your best mate's underwear shouldn't be funny, laughed out loud. And then he just couldn't stop laughing. He wasn't laughing at the robots on Puck's underwear anymore, he was just laughing. He felt hysterical and so very drunk. He'd definitely never been this drunk before, not even close. He couldn't stop, and it was starting to hurt his face and stomach. He just laughed and laughed until he suddenly realized his cheeks were all wet. He lifted his hand on his face, utterly amazed by his own tears.
And then he wasn't laughing anymore. He was crying, bawling like a little girl. Huge, endless tears fell down his cheeks and neck, feeling cold by the time they reached the collar of his shirt. His head started to fill up with images of Will and thoughts about never seeing him again.
And yet he still tried to deny his feelings, so he was crying about losing Will and because he was so terrified of the thought of being.. gay. These two thoughts made him feel deep, bottomless sadness and a heart gripping sense of loss. The pain was so real it actually got physical, making his stomach clench. And finally he had to reach out for Puck's waste basket to puke.
Then he sat up straight, wiped his face, took a couple of deep breaths and got up. He grabbed the waste basket and walked down the hall to a bathroom (keeping himself steady by grabbing the walls and dressers along the way). He rinsed off the vomit and sat down on the edge of the bathtub, taking out his phone.
He wanted to call Will. He stared at his phone, searched for his number and haltingly pressed "call". Then he lifted the phone on his ear and cleared his throat, wondering if he sounded as drunk as he really was. He had no idea what he was gonna say.
Will picked up right away. "Yeah, hello?" He didn't sound groggy or tired, and Finn was wondering what he was doing up in the middle of the night. There was some background noise, people talking and maybe some music.
"Mr. Sch.. Will, hey. It's Finn.."
"Finn? Hey, is everything ok?" Will sounded worried and Finn imagined him stepping into another roomas the noises in the background seemed to disappear.
"Yeah, I wanted to.. sorry if I interrupted something, I'm so sorry, I can call later if.."
"No, no it's ok, really. Are you drunk, Finn?" Will asked and Finn could definitely hear a smile in his voice.
"Yes. I'm so drunk I just puked into Puck's trash bin.. and have no idea why I'm telling you about it.." Finn said and wanted to hit his head against the wall. Will let out a little groan, but didn't succeed in sounding angry or scolding.
"I'm gonna come and get you, drive you home. You really need to get something to eat and a lot of sleep," Will said and Finn didn't say no. Instead he just grinned to himself, wanting to punch his fist in the air and yell "dude, YES, come and get me!" but instead he said:
"Ok.. thanks, Will. Thank you. And I'm so sorry for the trouble.. I really mean it.. I would get a cab but.." Finn hesitated.
"It's no trouble, really. I want to come," Will said softly (this did funny things to Finn's insides) and asked for directions to the house. Finn gave him the address and explained which would be the shortest way, and stood up absent-mindedly, walking slowly into the hallway while talking, and smiling to himself. He was going to see him one more time!
Just as he was about to hang up the phone, he heard a scream coming from the backyard. It wasn't the kind of scream a girl does when a guy is tickling her sides or splashing water on her by the pool. It was definitely not a happy scream. It was a real, horrifying, panicked scream that made all the hair on Finn's body to stand up. He heard Will on the phone, asking what was going on. But instead of answering, he shooted for the stairs, almost falling over but making it downstairs in one piece. The people in the livingroom were all trying to get out at the same time, to see what was wrong. The screaming stopped but instead there were now the shouts and sobs of several people..
"Get him up now, get him out of there!"
"HELP HIM!"
"Here, I got him, I got him.. here.."
Boys shouting. Girls crying. Panic in the air.
When Finn got out and saw what was going on, he felt his heart drop to his feet and all the strength from his muscles seemed to disappear. There were two guys standing in the pool and several people on the edge of it, trying to pull someone up from the water. Someone who wasn't moving. He was just being pulled up, looking like a limp, dripping wet sack.
It was Puck.
Finn could see his mohawk as they laid him down on the tiled floor. He watched people trying to make him breathe, clearing up his nose and mouth, hitting him on his back in hope of getting a sign of life out of him.
Someone putting their mouth on Puck's, starting CPR..
Finn heard someone desperately crying "call 911" and realized he was still holding the phone in his hand. He noticed the line was still open.
"Must call 911, it's Puck, come fast", he breathed into the phone, hung up and punched in 911.
PART 5
Rating: PG-13 I think
Pairing: Will/Finn
Word Count: ~2,660 in this part. (6,800 so far, in four chapters.)
Summary: There's some partying. Funny underwear. And a phone call. And something upsetting.
Comments: The soundtrack for this part would be as follows: Adam Lambert - For Your Entertainment, Doors - Alabama Song (Whisky Bar)
PREVIOUS PARTS: One | Two | Three
Their last performance was a great success. The McKinley students actually gave them a roaring standing ovation. Everyone had been on their feet dancing as they did their version of Adam Lambert's "For Your Entertainment" as the last song of the set.
Finn concentrated on performing so hard he barely had time to notice Will standing at the side of the stage, jamming along with them, mouthing the words to the songs. But Finn did notice, of course. Because it had been a weird day, with weird little thoughts and feelings popping up from the back of his mind. Yesterday he didn't have any trouble breathing near Will. Today, things were different. Today he stumbled on words and bumped into things when Will was near. Today he was so confused his head was starting to ache.
The song came to an end and after taking their bows they swiftly walked off the stage to where Will was standing. There was a lot of hugging and laughing and cheering. Finn ended up hugging the happily smiling man too, and as he did that, he just couldn't stop himself from nuzzling Will's neck lightly and taking in his scent. It was a wonderful smell, a mixture of Will and aftershave. Finn was terrified he'd get caught doing this and would at least be pushed away. But nothing happened. Will just gave his back a few quick rubs and laughed happily as the parted.
Since most of them weren't in a hurry, they decided to spend a few more moments together before saying goodbyes.
"So.. what are you guys up to tonight?" Will said after they'd all calmed down and were now scattered backstage with their water and soda bottles. Puck hit his fist in the air shouting "keg partyyyy!" which made most of the guys laugh out loud and a few of the girls roll their eyes wildly. Finn laughed too as Will lifted his hands and stuck his fingers in his ears to make clear he didn't approve their plans but that he wasn't going to say anything about it either.
They continued talking about everything and nothing at all for about a good half an hour, laughing a lot and making promises to see each other soon, maybe even have a Glee club get-together during summer. Finn listened to everyone talking with a sad smile on his face. He couldn't imagine what life would be like without these people. They were talking about keeping in touch, but he knew only a few of them would actually do it.
He tried to ignore the painful thought of not seeing Will anymore - he knew the man wouldn't disappear. Of course he'd be here every day after they were gone, just like he'd been here before they started their freshman year. He'd be here, teaching and running the Glee club, inspiring other young people, smiling his wonderful smile to those who came out of their shells during their first Glee club weeks.
So, Finn knew he could just come back some day to see him. The problem was, he couldn't come up with any excuses to do that. He imagined himself walking the hallways and 'accidentally' bumping into Will, but couldn't see the sense in that. Their encounter would only last a few minutes anyway, and then the man would be gone. Again. He would have to look him walk away. Again. He couldn't hang around at his old school every day, could he?
And seeing him "some day" wasn't enough. The thought about spending a week, two, the whole summer without talking to him was driving him crazy. And while agonizing over all of this, he also wanted to punch himself in the face. He still didn't want to admit he had a crush on Will. He wasn't gay, he'd never been gay. He tried to convince himself it was just about him having to leave it all behind, that he was just making these feelings up when really he was panicking about the life ahead. Maybe he was just trying to find someone or something to blame for his sense of loss, and to find something that would force him to stay in the city, where it was safe and familiar.
But why did he pick Will to be his anchor when it could've as easily been Rachel?
---
Will was thinking about Finn when he was walking to his car in the parking lot. The guy been acting so strange all day. It wasn't the normal goofy, sometimes so adorably clueless Finn this time, no. Today was something different. He'd been avoiding Will's eyes all day. The strange behaviour towards him was so obvious that there was no way Will could be imagining it. Will tried to think of reasons why he would be mad at him, but couldn't think of any. Things were great between them, they'd always been. He caught himself thinking about Finn as a good friend, as someone very important.
He unlocked the car doors, sat inside and slammed the door shut. He was thinking about stuff they'd said to each other today, things he could've missed. Had he said something wrong? Insulted Finn in some way? He came up with nothing. In fact, they hadn't even talked that much since that moment in the men's room and..
Suddenly the look on Finn's face in the hallway at lunch time came back to him.
And the way Finn stopped breathing when Will touched his shoulder in the men's room.
The way Finn looked at him when he thought he didn't notice.
The way he mumbled "it seems I'm done with girls".
The way he hugged Will just a bit too tight, pressing his face into his neck.
The way Will let that happen, closing his eyes just for a second as he felt Finn's cheek touch the tender skin of his neck..
Will stared straight ahead for a few minutes, then let his forehead drop against his arms resting on the steering wheel.
---
Finn had to sit down. So he did.
He wasn't sure what he was sitting on, but he knew he was feeling dizzy and couldn't stand straight. He rubbed his face with his hands, shook his head and looked around him to take in everything that was going on. He saw Puck dancing on a table with a girl, singing along to a song Finn didn't know. The girl was giggling and swaying dangerously near the table's edge in her high heels. Then there was Santana ja Brittany, sitting in lawn chairs and sipping on bright pink drinks with umbrellas in them. They were pointing at people and giggling. He saw a couple making out in the far corner of the small backyard, and Mike talking to Tina, who looked a bit angry.
Quinn was sitting on the edge of the pool, her legs in the water, trying to ignore a drunken guy hitting on her. Then there were about 20 more people around the yard and he had no idea who they were.
It was dark already, and the music was really loud. There were beercans and plastic punch glasses everywhere, paper plates and snacks scattered on tables and chairs. Finn rubbed his face again and thought about getting a glass of water. He was feeling really nauseous. But just then Puck appeared out of nowhere, slapping him in the head, laughing loudly.
"Huuuudsooooon, my man, GET UP, I can't deal with these women all by myself!" he shouted and slumped next to Finn, causing the whole bench to tip over, throwing them both on the ground. Puck half howled, half laughed out loud, and after a few seconds, Finn joined in. He made a conscious decision to enjoy the night and stop moping around. It was, after all, their graduation night, they had the whole house to themselves and a dozen pretty girls, all punch-drunk and flirty.
"Mister Puckerman. Get me up and show me the way to the next whisky bar," Finn said, grabbing his best friend's arm for support. Puck laughed and started singing The Doors song, while getting on his wobbly feet.
"Yes, private Hudson, I do think it is time for some serious shots."
---
Half an hour later Finn found himself in the pool with a dark-haired girl he'd never seen before. They were kinda making out, but also dancing together, and they weren't the only ones. There were at least a dozen people in the pool, splashing water around, dancing, kissing, singing or just fooling around and being loud just because being loud was allowed.
After a while, Finn got out of the pool with the girl on his heels. The girl pushed Finn down on a sun chair, on his back and climbed on top of him, not really minding some people clapping their hands together in appreciation.
Finn let the girl kiss him, not really bothering to kiss back. The girl was really pretty, she might have been Santana's cousin or even sister, and maybe she was. Finn didn't know or didn't care. He didn't even know her name. His head was spinning so he closed his eyes and tried to concentrate on kissing the girl back.
But he didn't enjoy it. He didn't want to kiss this drunken girl who tasted like cigarettes and beer and bacon flavoured snacks, he didn't want her hands all over his body and her lips on his chest and neck. He wondered if it would be rude to just tell her to stop, but then decided it didn't matter. (Guys can say 'no' too, right? He was pretty sure Puck would disagree on this, that there was some kind of a rule against ditching girls who were willing to make out or more, so he wouldn't be asking.)
So, the next minute Finn was walking away from the girl, bumping into lawn chairs and tables, ignoring the loud, nasty insults the girl was shouting at his back. He made it inside the house, looking for peace and quiet and a place to lie down, but the livingroom was already occupied by loud party people. He shook his head, ignoring someone calling his name, and made his way upstairs to Puck's room.
The room was empty, so he walked in, closed the door and lay down on the bed. He looked around. Puck had already started packing. There were half-empty boxes lying around, as well as a pile of clothes he was about to pack or throw away for whatever. Finn spotted some yellow Futurama themed boxer briefs and, although seeing your best mate's underwear shouldn't be funny, laughed out loud. And then he just couldn't stop laughing. He wasn't laughing at the robots on Puck's underwear anymore, he was just laughing. He felt hysterical and so very drunk. He'd definitely never been this drunk before, not even close. He couldn't stop, and it was starting to hurt his face and stomach. He just laughed and laughed until he suddenly realized his cheeks were all wet. He lifted his hand on his face, utterly amazed by his own tears.
And then he wasn't laughing anymore. He was crying, bawling like a little girl. Huge, endless tears fell down his cheeks and neck, feeling cold by the time they reached the collar of his shirt. His head started to fill up with images of Will and thoughts about never seeing him again.
And yet he still tried to deny his feelings, so he was crying about losing Will and because he was so terrified of the thought of being.. gay. These two thoughts made him feel deep, bottomless sadness and a heart gripping sense of loss. The pain was so real it actually got physical, making his stomach clench. And finally he had to reach out for Puck's waste basket to puke.
Then he sat up straight, wiped his face, took a couple of deep breaths and got up. He grabbed the waste basket and walked down the hall to a bathroom (keeping himself steady by grabbing the walls and dressers along the way). He rinsed off the vomit and sat down on the edge of the bathtub, taking out his phone.
He wanted to call Will. He stared at his phone, searched for his number and haltingly pressed "call". Then he lifted the phone on his ear and cleared his throat, wondering if he sounded as drunk as he really was. He had no idea what he was gonna say.
Will picked up right away. "Yeah, hello?" He didn't sound groggy or tired, and Finn was wondering what he was doing up in the middle of the night. There was some background noise, people talking and maybe some music.
"Mr. Sch.. Will, hey. It's Finn.."
"Finn? Hey, is everything ok?" Will sounded worried and Finn imagined him stepping into another roomas the noises in the background seemed to disappear.
"Yeah, I wanted to.. sorry if I interrupted something, I'm so sorry, I can call later if.."
"No, no it's ok, really. Are you drunk, Finn?" Will asked and Finn could definitely hear a smile in his voice.
"Yes. I'm so drunk I just puked into Puck's trash bin.. and have no idea why I'm telling you about it.." Finn said and wanted to hit his head against the wall. Will let out a little groan, but didn't succeed in sounding angry or scolding.
"I'm gonna come and get you, drive you home. You really need to get something to eat and a lot of sleep," Will said and Finn didn't say no. Instead he just grinned to himself, wanting to punch his fist in the air and yell "dude, YES, come and get me!" but instead he said:
"Ok.. thanks, Will. Thank you. And I'm so sorry for the trouble.. I really mean it.. I would get a cab but.." Finn hesitated.
"It's no trouble, really. I want to come," Will said softly (this did funny things to Finn's insides) and asked for directions to the house. Finn gave him the address and explained which would be the shortest way, and stood up absent-mindedly, walking slowly into the hallway while talking, and smiling to himself. He was going to see him one more time!
Just as he was about to hang up the phone, he heard a scream coming from the backyard. It wasn't the kind of scream a girl does when a guy is tickling her sides or splashing water on her by the pool. It was definitely not a happy scream. It was a real, horrifying, panicked scream that made all the hair on Finn's body to stand up. He heard Will on the phone, asking what was going on. But instead of answering, he shooted for the stairs, almost falling over but making it downstairs in one piece. The people in the livingroom were all trying to get out at the same time, to see what was wrong. The screaming stopped but instead there were now the shouts and sobs of several people..
"Get him up now, get him out of there!"
"HELP HIM!"
"Here, I got him, I got him.. here.."
Boys shouting. Girls crying. Panic in the air.
When Finn got out and saw what was going on, he felt his heart drop to his feet and all the strength from his muscles seemed to disappear. There were two guys standing in the pool and several people on the edge of it, trying to pull someone up from the water. Someone who wasn't moving. He was just being pulled up, looking like a limp, dripping wet sack.
It was Puck.
Finn could see his mohawk as they laid him down on the tiled floor. He watched people trying to make him breathe, clearing up his nose and mouth, hitting him on his back in hope of getting a sign of life out of him.
Someone putting their mouth on Puck's, starting CPR..
Finn heard someone desperately crying "call 911" and realized he was still holding the phone in his hand. He noticed the line was still open.
"Must call 911, it's Puck, come fast", he breathed into the phone, hung up and punched in 911.
PART 5