*So, this idea just randomly came to me the other day, and I decided that I had to write it. I'm not going to name the song until the end, because that would give everything away, so I'll just say for now that I don't own anything recognizable. The best way I can describe this fic is "Finchel fluff-fest." You've been warned. Background info: Rachel, Blaine, & Kurt are living/going to school in New York. Finn got a football scholarship to Ohio State, and they're all in their sophomore year of college, so this is set in December 2013. Happy Reading!
(Kurt)
Kurt was bursting with excitement, nearly skipping through the apartment that he shared with Blaine and Rachel to Rachel's bedroom. He ignored the 'Do Not Disturb' sign on her door, flinging the door open and prancing inside. He walked to the window and pulled up the shade, flooding the room with light and causing Rachel to pull the covers over her head with a groan.
"Kuuuuurt," she complained. "I was sleeping."
Kurt ignored her, flopping down on the bed beside her and pulling the covers away from her face. "Happy Birthday!" he said cheerfully, earning only a glare in response.
Rachel huffed a sigh, sitting up just enough to check her alarm clock. She flopped back down with another groan. "Kurt, it's nine in the morning. Why are you waking me up this early on my birthday?"
"Oh, no reason," Kurt said, grinning. "Just making sure you have enough time to get ready for an eleven o'clock brunch at Le Petit, that's all."
"You're kidding, right?" Rachel said, fixing Kurt with a murderous glare. "You woke me up so that we can go to brunch?"
Kurt's grin widened as he tugged her out of bed. "No, I woke you up so that I can take you to brunch on your birthday. There's a difference."
"Which is?"
"Well, I'm treating, and you get to wear my birthday present," Kurt replied, pulling out a garment bag that he had stashed in her closet the night before with a flourish. He unzipped it to reveal a floaty, pale pink dress with fluttery sleeves and a dark pink sash. "There are matching shoes, too," he added.
"Kurt, it's absolutely beautiful, but...I'm going to freeze," Rachel said, fingering the material.
"No you won't," Kurt said dismissively. "Now, go get in the shower so I have time to do your hair and makeup."
Rachel rolled her eyes as Kurt ushered her out of her room and towards the bathroom. "You would so not be doing this if we were in Lima," she muttered.
"Well, we're not in Lima," Kurt replied brightly. "By no fault of mine or Blaine's I might add."
"Yeah, yeah, I know. It's my fault that we're not leaving until tomorrow," Rachel said with a sigh. "I should've just stuck to the original plan."
"Rachel Barbara Berry. You had a callback for Chicago," Kurt said, crossing his arms. "Chi-ca-go. There was no way Blaine and I were letting you skip that. And it's also not your fault that all outgoing flights to Ohio were booked except for tomorrow's. So stop beating yourself up about this, okay?"
Rachel sighed. "I know, I know," she replied. "I just...I was really hoping to spend my birthday with Finn, that's all."
"Oh, sweetie, I know," Kurt said sympathetically. "Have you heard from him yet today?"
She nodded. "He called at midnight exactly to say 'Happy Birthday' and we talked for about an hour." She took a deep breath, letting it out with a smile. "Okay, shower time."
Kurt waited until he heard the shower start to call his stepbrother. Finn answered on the first ring. "Finn, thank goodness you're up," he said, breathing a sigh of relief. "I was worried you might still be asleep."
Finn chuckled nervously. "Are you kidding? I barely got any sleep at all. I've been up for three hours already. How are things on your end?" he asked, a worried note in his voice. Kurt could picture him biting his lip or running his fingers through his hair.
"Everything's right on schedule," he replied. "She just got in the shower. Now, you remember what time to be at the cafe, right?"
"Ten-thirty," Finn responded. There was a beat before he spoke again, sounding worried again. "Dude, I have no idea where the cafe is."
Kurt sighed. "Don't worry about it, Finn," he said calmly. "Blaine's meeting you at the hotel at ten to take you to the cafe. And you have everything, right?"
"Kurt, do you really think I would forget that?" Finn asked, sounding slightly calmer.
"Not purposefully," Kurt replied. "I was just making sure. Are you ready?"
Finn sighed. "Yes," he said, pausing. "No...I don't know. I'm not making a mistake, am I?"
"If I thought you were, would I have gone to all this trouble to help you pull off this crazy plan?" Kurt asked, letting his words sink in.
He could almost see Finn's crooked smile as he replied. "No, I guess not," he said. "Kurt...thanks. For everything."
Kurt grinned. "Don't mention it," he said. "I'll see you in a couple of hours, okay?"
"Okay. See ya."
"Finn," Kurt said. "Break a leg."
"Thanks, man. Bye."
"Bye." As Kurt hung up, Blaine emerged from their bedroom, dressed in khakis, a white oxford shirt, and a navy sweater. Kurt raised an eyebrow, impressed. "Don't you look dashing, Mr. Anderson."
Blaine preened a little, adjusting his collar. "Why thank you, Mr. Hummell. You don't look too shabby yourself." Kurt's outfit was decidedly less attention-grabbing than usual; a grey cashmere sweater paired with a black kilt and blazer.
"Thank you," he said with a gracious smile before turning all business. "You have Finn's room number at the hotel, right?" he asked, receiving a nod. "Good. And the video camera's charged?"
Blaine rolled his eyes. "Kurt. You realize that I have death threats from eight different people, two from Mercedes, if even a millisecond of this goes unrecorded, right? What would possibly compell me to forget to charge the video camera?"
"Just checking," Kurt said, checking his watch. "Okay, it's nine twenty-five. Rachel should be out of the shower in no more than ten minutes. You need to be on your way to the hotel in no more than five. Make sure to text me the minute you and Finn get to the cafe, and I'll text you when Rachel and I leave the apartment. You know how long it takes to walk from the apartment to the cafe, so you should have a fairly accurate ETA." He paused to take a breath. "There is a tape in the camera, right?"
Blaine shook his head fondly, giving Kurt a small kiss. "You're so adorable when you're bossy," he said, putting on his jacket and gloves and slinging the camera bag over his shoulder. "Just...chill, okay? Everything's going to go perfectly."
Kurt watched him leave, breathing a small sigh of relief as he heard the shower shut off. It had better.
(Rachel)
Rachel shivered in the winter air, pulling her wool peacoat tighter around her as she and Kurt walked to the cafe for brunch. She had been right about freezing in the dress, the flimsy material too thin to keep out the bitter wind, and her hair had been pulled up off her neck into a low bun. Her feet were already numb in the heels Kurt had forced her to wear, and she was extremely grateful that the cafe was only two and a half blocks from their apartment.
"K-k-kurt," she said, her teeth chattering. "Remind me again why we're going to the cafe for brunch today."
"Because it's your birthday," he replied. "And you deserve a treat."
"Yes, but why are we walking?"
Kurt sighed patiently, hooking his arm through hers. "Because the cafe is too close to warrant taking a cab. Besides, we're almost there."
Rachel huffed a sigh, catching sight of Le Petit Cafe, the corner coffee shop that she and Kurt had discovered their first summer in New York. "Thank the Lord," she whispered, speeding up to get inside quicker.
The cafe was significantly less crowded than usual, but still fuller than Rachel had expected. Kurt led her to a small table in the back near the small stage that was used mainly for Open Mic Nights. Surprisingly, a microphone and stool were set up on stage, as though a performance was starting soon.
"You sit and get warm," Kurt ordered. "I'll get our food."
Rachel looked around, confused. "Where's Blaine?" she asked. "I thought you said he was meeting us here."
"Oh...well..." Kurt stammered. "I'm sure he's just running late or something. I wouldn't worry about it."
Rachel looked around as she shed her coat, shivering slightly, even though the heater was on full-blast. She swore she saw a familiar head of curly hair by the counter, but her view was quickly blocked by the other patrons.
She had been waiting for a few minutes when a barista approached her table, carrying her usual; a french vanilla soy latte and a cranberry muffin. "Are you Rachel Berry?" he asked. She nodded, and he set her food in front of her. "Your friend said you'd be sitting over here."
Rachel frowned. "Where did he go, anyway?" she asked, confused.
The barista shrugged. "I dunno. I just bring people their stuff," he said, walking away before she could respond.
Rachel was about halfway through her muffin and still waiting for Kurt to return when she heard someone clear their throat from the stage. Her eyes widened in shock when she saw Kurt standing onstage, grinning broadly. "Ladies and gentlemen, could I have your attention, please," he said. Rachel felt herself turning beet red as the entire cafe turned to the stage. Kurt's grin widened and he continued. "Thank you. Today is a very special day, because today is my friend Rachel Berry's birthday. Wave to the people, Rachel."
Rachel gave a half-hearted wave to the cafe patrons before turning back to Kurt with a murderous glare. He went on, apparently oblivious to her glare as she buried her face in her hands. "A very exciting surprise has been planned for Rachel today, so, without further ado..." She heard another set of footsteps on the stage and looked up just in time to see Finn take the microphone from Kurt with trembling hands and sit down on the stool. He was dressed to the nines, wearing a black suit with a pink tie that matched her dress.
Finn caught her eye, giving her a nervous smile as the first strains of music started to play. It took Rachel a few moments to recognize the song, but once she did, she gasped, her entire body trembling.
"Forever could never be long enough for me
To feel like I've had long enough with you.
Forget the world now, we won't let them see,
But there's one thing left to do.
Now that the weight has lifted,
Love has surely shifted my way."
Finn took a breath, as though mentally preparing himself, and Rachel felt tears pricking at her eyes as he started the chorus.
"Marry me,
Today and every day.
Marry me,
If I ever get the nerve to say 'Hello' in this cafe
Say you will.
Mhmm
Say you will.
Mhmm."
Rachel was in a complete state of shock, not even bothering to stop the tears that were slowly trickling down her cheeks. Finn seemed to gain more confidence as he started the second verse, his hands steadying. He flashed her his signature crooked grin and continued.
"Together could never be close enough for me,
To feel like I am close enough to you.
You wear white and I'll wear out the words
'I love you' and 'You're beautiful.'
Now that the wait is over
And love has finally shown her my way.
Marry me,
Today and every day.
Marry me,
If I ever get the nerve to say 'Hello' in this cafe
Say you will.
Mhmm
Say you will.
Mhmm."
Finn got up from the stool, making his way off the stage and to Rachel's side as he sang.
"Promise me you'll always be
Happy by my side.
I promise to sing to you
When all the music dies."
Finn reached Rachel's table, kneeling down in front of her and taking her hand.
"Marry me,
Today and every day.
Marry me,
If I ever get the nerve to say 'Hello' in this cafe
Say you will.
Mhmm
Say you will.
Mhmm
Marry Me.
Mhmm."
As the song ended, Finn pulled a small box from his pocket. "Rachel Barbara Berry, meeting you was the most amazing thing that has ever happened to me. You were the first person to ever see the real me, and you taught me that I didn't have to hide who I was. You are wonderful, beautiful, funny, sweet, exciting, and so loving. I've known for the past four and a half years that I want to spend the rest of my life with you, but I was just too scared to admit it until now. So, Rach, will you marry me?"
Rachel nodded fervently, trying to speak past the lump in her throat. "Yes," she whispered. "Yes. Yes, yes, yes, yes, yes." She beamed, tears streaming down her cheeks. "Yes, Finn, I'll marry you."
Finn was grinning with barely contained excitement as he slipped a small diamond ring on her finger. She let out a surprised laugh as he suddenly picked her up and twirled her around a few times before setting her back on her feet. She stretched up to meet him as he leaned down to kiss her. He kept his hand on her cheek as they broke the kiss, both of them grinning as they lost themselves in the moment.
"Congratulations!" Kurt was suddenly at their side, bouncing up and down with joy.
Rachel wrapped Kurt in a tight hug. "Thank you so much. I can't believe this," she said. "You planned all of this?"
Kurt shook his head. "Finn was the one with the grand master plan," he said. "I just helped him execute it."
Blaine appeared out of nowhere, holding a video camera and looking somber. "Kurt, I'm really sorry, but...the battery died halfway through and only then did I realize that I forgot to put a tape in the camera to begin with."
Kurt's expression went from shocked to angry to devastated then back to shocked in a matter of seconds before settling on all three at once. "You...it...what...no..." he whimpered.
Blaine held his serious face for a moment before grinning ear to ear. "Kidding!" he said, laughing. "Everything went perfectly, just like I said it would," he said smugly. "Congrats you two," he said, hugging Rachel and Finn as Kurt sputtered with outrage. He glanced at Kurt. "Now, if you'll excuse me, I'm going to get him home before he explodes." He wrapped an arm around Kurt's shoulders, leading him out of the cafe.
Once Kurt and Blaine left, Rachel turned to Finn with a shy smile. "So, we have the entire rest of the day ahead of us. Is there anything in particular you'd like to do?"
Finn's crooked smile returned. "I can think of a few things..."
Rachel snuggled closer to Finn as they lay on the roof of the apartment building, gazing up at the stars. "So," she said, curiosity finally getting the better of her. "When did you start planning all of this?"
"I've actually been thinking about this for a really long time," he replied, tightening his arms around her. "I asked your dads for their blessing back in October," he said, grinning sheepishly.
Rachel's eyes widened. "You've been planning this since October?"
Finn nodded. "Yeah. I mean, I knew that I wanted to propose on your birthday 'cause I wanted it to be really special, but then you got your callback, so Kurt and I had to make some adjustments."
"Like you flying out to New York for all of one day."
Finn pressed a kiss to the top of her head. "You've never done anything crazy for love?" he teased.
Rachel laughed. "Okay, you got me there," she said, sighing contentedly. "You know that this was the easy part, right?" she asked after a few moments of silence.
"Yeah, why's that?" Finn asked
She grinned up at him. "Because now we get to go home and actually tell everyone. My family, your family, all of our friends. And, after that, we have to actually start planning the wedding."
"Well, that sounds like...fun," Finn said, sounding slightly intimidated.
"You still sure you wanna go through with this crazy plan?" Rachel asked teasingly.
Finn relaxed, pulling her closer. "Positive," he whispered. "But only 'cause it means I get to spend every day with you, starting today."
Rachel nodded happily. "Today, and every day for the rest of our lives."
*Alrighty, now that the fluff-fest is over, a quick disclaimer before I leave you all: Glee belongs to Fox & Ryan Murphy, the song "Marry Me" belongs to Train.