A/N: Because Dianna Agron playing the guitar is just- ungh! I'm hoping and wishing that I'll get to meet her one day and play the guitar with her. But I guess that kind of thing will happen only in my wildest dreams, huh? *sighs sadly*
Disclaimer: The song I used here is Somebody Out There by A Rocket to the Moon.
As Quinn went into the cafeteria, she immediately scanned the premises for a certain short brunette. Spotting said brunette sitting alone in the corner, Quinn walked faster before the giant oaf could beat her. The brunette seemed to be distracted with the tablet in her hand, her earphones plugged in that she didn't notice Quinn sitting beside her. Grinning widely, Quinn unplugged one of the earphones from Rachel's ear, causing the brunette to jolt in surprise.
"I- Quinn!" Rachel beamed and pulled off her other earphone before leaning forward to hug the blonde.
"Hey, Rach," Quinn greeted as they pulled away. "What were you doing?" she asked, pointing to the tablet that was resting on the table.
"Oh, uh, I just discovered this amazing guitarist on YouTube last night, and I happened to have downloaded all his videos. I've been watching him," Rachel blushed as she handed the tablet to Quinn.
"Well, he must be really amazing if he got your attention," Quinn teased as she plugged in Rachel's earphones.
She tapped play and watched as a Korean guy appeared on screen, sitting on a couch and holding a guitar. As Quinn watched, her jaw dropped at the way the guy played guitar. He made the guitar sing, and Quinn found herself mesmerized by the way he played. The sounds coming out from the guitar were clean, and the way the guy played was effortless, as though the guitar was just an extension of his limbs.
Now Quinn could see why Rachel was so fascinated by watching this guy play the guitar. If anything, it took real talent to capture Rachel's attention.
Her gaze drifted down and she caught sight of the guy's name. Sungha Jung. Quinn tucked that little piece of information away for future reference.
As the song finished, Quinn unplugged the earphones and saw Finn approaching with a tray filled with food that was definitely not friendly for vegans. She watched as Rachel squirmed uncomfortably when Finn sat the tray in front of her, the giant oaf wearing a dopey smile that just made Quinn want to punch his face in.
"Hey, Rach! I got you lunch," Finn announced.
"Finn, I-"
"-Rachel's a vegan, Finn. Meaning, she doesn't eat meat or anything with dairy products," Quinn cut Rachel off as she glared at the tall boy.
"Wait, what?" Finn asked, obviously confused.
"I don't eat meat, Finn," Rachel repeated with a huff as she pushed the tray away. "Never mind, I'll get my food."
"No, let me do it, Rach," Quinn offered before Rachel could stand up. "I'm sure I won't make a blunder," she added as she raised an eyebrow at the tall boy.
"Thank you, Quinn," Rachel beamed and squeezed Quinn's hand, causing the blonde's skin to tingle.
"Sure, Rach," Quinn smiled at her best friend. Then, to Finn, she said, "And you, get that tray out of here, unless you find a way to make that food vegan-friendly."
Finn huffed and stormed away with the tray, leaving the two girls alone. Quinn rolled her eyes and trudged towards the lunch lady, ordering vegan-friendly food for Rachel and meat loaf for herself. She walked back to her best friend and placed the tray on the table, watching as Rachel smiled as she took her food.
Most of the time, Quinn wondered why Rachel was still with Finn. It was obvious that he never listened to Rachel, especially the fact that they've been dating for three months and he still couldn't remember that Rachel was a vegan, or what that even meant. Plus the fact that he never even bothered to tell the jocks to stop making Rachel a victim of the slushies. So, Quinn took it upon herself to tell them off, being captain of the girls' soccer team and all.
And of course, no one would dare cross Quinn Fabray, unless they wanted to go through something extremely painful or embarrassing, or both.
Truth be told, she'd always had a huge crush on Rachel, but Finn always got ahead of her before she could start to woo the tiny diva. Which was why when Rachel asked her to join the Glee club, Quinn agreed to join immediately, so it wasn't necessary for the brunette to use her pout and puppy dog eyes to convince her.
Finn, of course, had been an entirely different story. He refused the first few times, saying that he didn't want to be part of a loser club. Which led to Rachel crying and leaving Quinn to comfort her, like she always did whenever Finn did or said anything stupid that would hurt Rachel's feelings. Quinn had wanted to beat the living daylights out of him for that, but she was sure that Rachel wouldn't approve of it, so she just let Finn off with a warning.
Not that Quinn no longer had the urges to knee him in the crotch every time she saw him. If anything, the need to punch that stupid constipated look on his face grew stronger every time Quinn saw Finn with Rachel.
But Quinn wouldn't stand around and watch Finn grab at Rachel with his paws any longer. Nope. It was time for her to swoop in and save Rachel from the sweaty clutches of one Finn Hudson.
Now, all she needed was an idea on how to woo Rachel.
Later that night, Quinn was in Rachel's room, both of them working on their English homework. Quinn sat on Rachel's floor, while the brunette lied down on her stomach on the bed, the room silent except for the sound of pens scratching across paper. Rachel yawned and closed her notebook, then sat up and faced Quinn.
"You know, I think that guitars are lovely instruments. I mean, they're actually really flexible. You can sing while playing it, use it in a band, or just have it sing alone. And well, people who play guitar are attractive," Rachel said with a soft blush as she fiddled with her fingers.
"So, you're attracted to people who play the guitar?" Quinn asked, eyebrow raised.
"In a way, I suppose," Rachel smiled dreamily. "I would find it really romantic if someone were to serenade me while playing the guitar."
Quinn suddenly imagined Finn trying to play the guitar. His huge and grabby hands probably wouldn't fit the frets, and Quinn could imagine the confused look on his face when he tried to strum the instrument. This caused Quinn to let out a loud snort followed by a laugh.
"Quinn? Why are you laughing?" Rachel asked, her expression mildly offended.
"It's just- Finn would probably fail so hard at playing the guitar," Quinn managed in between short bursts of laughter. "I can imagine the look on his face now…"
"Quinn! Don't be mean!" Rachel pouted.
"Sorry," Quinn apologized after she sobered up. "I just think you deserve better," she mumbled to herself.
"Did you say something?" Rachel asked, eyebrows furrowed in confusion.
"Nothing," Quinn sighed as she closed her textbook. "Listen, I gotta go. It's nearly time for dinner at home."
"Okay," Rachel smiled. Quinn smiled back and put her things in her bag and approached the brunette.
"Good night, Rach," Quinn murmured as she leaned down to kiss Rachel's forehead. It became a habit of hers to do that before she left Rachel's house, and the diva didn't really mind, so Quinn kept on doing it. And in that way, she felt like she was closer to Rachel.
"Good night, Quinn," Rachel smiled bashfully, a tinge of pink coating her cheeks. Quinn chuckled and slung the straps of her backpack over her shoulder, a plan to woo the tiny diva beginning to form inside her mind.
First, she needed to pay Puck a visit.
Quinn left the Berry residence and slipped inside her car. She sent Puck a text saying that she needed to see him outside his house, then started the engine and drove towards the Puckerman residence. When she arrived at the driveway, Puck was already outside the house, waiting for her. She got out of the car and approached the mohawked boy.
"What's up, Q?" Puck said in acknowledgement.
"I was wondering if you could lend me a guitar?" Quinn asked hopefully.
"Oh, so you finally found a way to woo Rachel, huh?" Puck grinned as he patted Quinn's shoulder.
"I don't know what you're talking about," Quinn lied as she shoved her hands in her pockets.
"C'mon now, Q! We all know that you've been crushing on your best friend for a while now," Puck said as he waved his hands in the air. "Plus, I don't really like the way Finn treats her. I mean, sure, he doesn't abuse her or anything, but you gotta admit, he's a pretty stupid boyfriend," he added with a shrug.
"Well, I'm glad I'm not the only one who noticed," Quinn mumbled with a scowl.
"Alright, then. Gimme a sec."
And with that, Puck rushed inside his house, leaving Quinn outside. Heaving a sigh, Quinn ran a hand through her hair, silently hoping that her plans to woo Rachel won't backfire. Within just a few minutes, Puck was back outside, holding a guitar case in his hand. He zipped it open and took out the guitar, showing Quinn that it was in tiptop condition.
"Right, so you got everything you'll need in here. A tuner, a capo, a chord book, and a few picks to help you start out," Puck explained as he handed Quinn the guitar case. "Oh, and if you're ever stuck on anything, feel free to call me."
"Thanks, Puck. I really appreciate it," Quinn said with a grateful smile as she gripped the handles of the case.
"No prob, Q. And don't worry, I'll keep quiet about it. Go get your girl, alright?" Puck grinned as he extended a fist. Quinn laughed and bumped fists with the mohawked boy, saying her thanks again before leaving.
Operation: Woo Rachel Berry was just about to begin.
When Quinn entered her house, she found her mom and dad sitting in the living room and watching TV, like they always did while they waited for her to come home. Before she could open her mouth to greet them, Judy was up and staring at the guitar in her hand. Her dad, Russell, was grinning widely as Quinn carefully set the case down.
"I wonder what made our daughter decide to learn how to play the guitar," Russell wondered out loud as he wrapped an arm around Judy's shoulder.
"I don't know, dear," Judy said thoughtfully. Suddenly, she snapped her fingers and smiled widely. "Oh! She must be doing it to woo Rachel!"
This caused Quinn to blush to the tips of her ears, suddenly feeling embarrassed. Her parents had known about her huge crush on Rachel for some time now, and they would always tease her about it. Thankfully, they never said anything in Rachel's presence, but their knowing looks would always catch her off guard.
"Ah, yes! It's about time, too! Our dear Quinn is finally working up the courage to ask Rachel out!" Russell announced happily.
"Mom! Dad!" Quinn exclaimed, her cheeks coated with a deep shade of red. She really couldn't believe her parents.
"And Rachel is such a sweetheart, don't you think?" Judy said to Russell, both of them blatantly ignoring their daughter's embarrassed outbursts.
"Oh, yes! Such a talented and sweet young girl, that one," Russell said, nodding his head in approval.
"Mom! Dad! I'm still here!" Quinn yelled as she waved her hands in the air in an attempt to get her parents to notice her.
"Sorry, dear. You're just fun to tease whenever it comes to Rachel," Judy giggled as she hugged her daughter.
"Go and show her that that Hudson boy's not worth her tears, eh?" Russell said seriously.
Quinn nodded and smiled. Her parents didn't like Finn at all, especially after witnessing the mess he made on his supposed 'date' with Rachel. Of course, he took Rachel to Breadstix, which barely even had any food options for vegans. Barely, in the case that the only thing on the menu that Rachel could eat was a salad, which was only a small serving.
Her dad could barely stand to watch Rachel starve, so he had marched right up to the couple and flatly told Finn that the evening was over. Finn, being scared of Quinn's dad, had run away without even apologizing to Rachel. After that, her mom had invited Rachel to eat at home instead.
"Okay, kiddo. Let's eat so you can get on with playing the guitar," Russell winked as he ushered Quinn towards the kitchen.
Quinn grinned and followed her parents into the kitchen. She was really grateful that her parents were completely okay with her liking Rachel. To put it into their words, Rachel was a 'sweet, kindhearted, soulful, beautiful, and talented girl'. For Quinn, words just aren't enough to describe Rachel, as cheesy and cliché as that sounded.
After they ate, Quinn said good night to her parents and rushed to her room, guitar in hand. She could vaguely hear her dad saying something about being proud of her as she left, causing her to blush again. As she went into her room, she turned on her laptop and went to YouTube to search for guitar lessons.
If Rachel wanted to be serenaded, then that was what Quinn was going to do. And she was damn well going to do the best that she can.
The next morning, Quinn set her plan into motion. She checked the hallways for any people, sighing in relief when she didn't find any. As quickly as she could, she headed for Rachel's locker and pried the lock open. Taking another look at the empty hallway, she opened her bag and took out a CD case with a strawberry-scented card stuck on the cover. She put the two items in and shut the locker, making a swift exit afterwards.
The CD contained all of Rachel's favorite songs, all of which Quinn remembered the titles by heart. The bell soon rang, and Quinn headed off to her first class, which she also shared with Rachel. As she sat down on her seat, she waited for Rachel to come in, wondering how the brunette reacted to her gift.
Not that she would tell Rachel it was from her, of course. It would ruin the element of surprise. Which was why she opted to have the message on the card printed instead of being handwritten. She was sure that Rachel could identify her handwriting, so she didn't want to risk it. Even if she knew that Rachel found handwritten messages to be more romantic.
Soon, Rachel came in, CD case in hand, and her eyebrows furrowed in confusion. Quinn smiled as Rachel sat on the empty seat beside her. Act normal, Quinn. You wouldn't want to get caught now, she reminded herself.
"Good morning, Rach," Quinn greeted with a grin.
"Oh. Good morning, Quinn," Rachel answered, somewhat distractedly.
"What's wrong? You look distracted," Quinn observed. Rachel chewed on her lip and showed Quinn the CD. Pretending as though it wasn't her doing, Quinn arched an eyebrow and took the object from Rachel's hands.
"Where'd you get this?" Quinn asked as she looked at Rachel.
"I didn't. I found it in my locker this morning, along with this card," she explained as she held out the card.
"Wow. It looks like someone went through the trouble of breaking into your locker just to give you that. Is there any name on the card?"
"There isn't any. And it isn't handwritten, so there's practically no way of me finding whoever went through the trouble of putting these in my locker," Rachel said with a pout that Quinn found to be adorable. "Although… the message is quite nice, if I do say so myself," she added, a shy smile gracing her lips.
Yes! She liked it! Quinn mentally cheered for herself.
"What, uh, what does the message say?" Quinn asked, trying to be as curious as possible. Even though she knew what exactly was written on the card, she had to ask Rachel so that it wouldn't look weird that she didn't ask. "I mean, only if you want to tell me."
"Sure. I don't think there's any harm in doing that," Rachel beamed and cleared her throat. "Whenever I feel lost, I listen to your voice and I feel as though I'm up in the clouds when I do. I made this CD with thoughts of you, and I hope that you'll like it. So, whenever you feel lonely or hopeless, I hope that you'll listen to this and find yourself smiling again."
"That's- wow," Quinn said in amazement.
"I know, right? That was my exact reaction when I read it," Rachel giggled in delight. "I think I'll listen to this when I get home. It would be a shame if I put this person's effort to waste."
Quinn grinned to herself as she did an internal fist pump.
The next day right after her last class, Quinn put a stuffed panda and a single Gardenia in Rachel's locker, knowing that these were two of the brunette's favorite things. Of course, she left another card, which was attached to the flower. Smiling in satisfaction, Quinn jogged away to girls' locker room to get ready for soccer practice.
She put on a dark blue shirt, knee-length shorts, and her red Adidas soccer cleats. After tying her hair in a ponytail, she trekked out to the field and found her teammates starting to warm up. She stretched her arms and jogged a few laps, until their coach arrived.
They practiced for around two hours, until the coach was satisfied and decided to let them go. Quinn wiped the sweat off her forehead with the back of her hand, her shirt drenched and her shoes caked with soil. She looked at the bleachers and found Rachel hugging the stuffed panda she left in her locker a while ago. With a smile, Quinn waved to Rachel, and the tiny diva waved back, beaming widely.
She went back to the locker room and took a quick shower, then changed back into her previous clothes. Slinging the strap of her duffel bag over her shoulder, Quinn jogged towards the bleachers and grinned at Rachel.
"Did somebody leave that in your locker again?" Quinn asked, pointing to the stuffed panda in Rachel's arms.
"Yes, along with a flower and another sweet note," Rachel blushed as she chewed on her lip adorably.
"Oh, really? Wow, this person must really like you a lot," Quinn commented as Rachel looped their arms together. And yes, I really do like you, she thought to herself. "What did the note say?"
"The Gardenia means that you are lovely, which I do believe is true. I hope that someday I'll be able to give you a bouquet of flowers personally, and make other people jealous of that. The panda is for when you're alone and when you have the urge to hug something. You're a shining star, and I hope that you won't let anyone else dim the light that you hold," Rachel recited as she blushed deeply.
"You memorized it?" Quinn asked in surprise. And she really was caught off guard, because she didn't expect Rachel to take it to heart.
"I did. It was so sweet that I couldn't stop reading it," Rachel said with a shy smile.
"Hmm, I just hope that the panda won't replace me for hugs," Quinn said teasingly, hazel eyes twinkling.
"Do you hear yourself, Quinn Fabray?" Rachel scoffed. "Of course it won't!"
Quinn laughed as Rachel tugged her closer, silently congratulating herself for another job well done.
And so it went for the next few weeks, with Quinn leaving little things in Rachel's locker whilst managing not to get caught in the act. And while she wasn't leaving gifts in Rachel's locker, Quinn was practicing the guitar. She'd found the perfect song to play and sing to Rachel, and when she felt confident enough that she could pull off the song without making a fool of herself, she decided that it was time to push through with the final surprise.
That morning, she left an album of Sungha Jung in Rachel's locker along with a note, telling her to come to the auditorium after class to find out about her secret admirer. Now here she was, nervously waiting at the stage, the guitar slung across her shoulder.
Before she left school, her parents cheered for her, saying that they'll be praying that Quinn would be successful in serenading Rachel. And of course, they added that they couldn't wait until Quinn introduced Rachel as her girlfriend. Just thinking of it made Quinn even more nervous. What if Rachel didn't want to be more than friends? What if she still wanted to stay with Finn, despite being the terrible boyfriend that he was?
Quinn gulped and wiped her palms against her jeans, suddenly finding the urge to back out. But before she could bolt for the doors, Rachel was already walking down the steps, holding the album and Quinn's note. Quinn smiled nervously as Rachel stared at her in shock.
"Quinn? What- why are you holding a guitar?" Rachel asked, her eyes wide with surprise. Quinn said nothing and let Rachel figure it out on her own. After a few moments, realization spread across Rachel's face, a deep blush coating her cheeks. "Wait- you're my secret admirer?"
"Y-yeah. Unless you're disappointed, or something," Quinn said nervously as she toyed with the guitar strap.
"Disappointed? No! I'm just really surprised by all this. And since when did you learn to play the guitar?" she asked suspiciously as she pointed at the instrument.
"Since you told me that you were attracted to people that play the guitar," Quinn smiled sheepishly.
"You- you did that for me?" Rachel said in awe, brown eyes twinkling with delight.
"Yeah. I figured that leaving gifts in your locker would be the only way I could get your attention, plus it added the element of mystery and surprise, so…" Quinn trailed off with a light shrug.
"Oh, Quinn," Rachel sighed happily, causing Quinn to smile.
"I hope you like this," Quinn mumbled as she started to strum her guitar.
You deserve someone who listens to you
Hears every word, and knows what to do
When you're feeling hopeless, lost, and confused
There's somebody out there who will
You need a girl, who holds you for hours
Make your friends jealous,
When she brings you flowers
And laughs when she says they don't have love like ours
There's somebody out there who will
Quinn smiled as Rachel listened with her eyes closed, a dreamy smile on her lips. It looked like it was working, and she felt a surge of confidence as she strummed the guitar and sang. During Glee, she rarely sang any solos, so she was a bit unsure of her voice. But Rachel looked like she was enjoying it, so she didn't doubt her ability to sing at this point. Of course, she'd changed the male pronouns to female pronouns to better suit her and point out to Rachel that she was going to be the girl described in the song.
There's somebody out there, who's looking for you
Someday she'll find you, I swear that it's true
She's gonna kiss you, and you'll feel the world stand still
There's somebody out there who will
She'll take you dancing and pull you in close
Spin you around, and won't let you go
Till they turn off the lights and she'll take you home
There's somebody out there who will
Tossing and turning and dreaming at night
About finding her and praying and hoping you might
'Cause you deserve someone who knows how to treat you right
Quinn closed her eyes and let herself get lost in the sounds of the guitar, imagining herself dancing with Rachel. She'll be a better person than Finn, and she was going to make sure that Rachel would love being with her. And she's going to treat Rachel like the princess she deserved to be treated as.
I know she's out there
She's looking for you
Someday she'll find you, I swear that it's true
And she's gonna kiss you, and you'll feel the world stand still
You need someone who'll miss you
Hold you and kiss you
There's somebody out there who will
Quinn let the last note fade out and let the guitar hang at her back. Rachel blushed as Quinn hopped off the stage and locked their fingers together.
"I know I'm not as good as that guy you've been watching on YouTube, and I probably never will, because let's face it – he's a god at playing the guitar," Quinn said, causing Rachel to giggle. Grinning widely, Quinn continued her speech, "But I want you to know that I'd play the guitar for you any day, and-"
Quinn was cut off by a pair of soft lips pressing against hers. Eyes widened in surprise at the unexpected action, she barely felt that Rachel was kissing her – actually kissing her. After a few seconds, she found herself kissing back. Kissing Rachel was – well, there were no words to describe the feeling. Her brain short-circuited, and she literally forgot everything. When Rachel pulled away, Quinn stared at her with what she was sure was a dumbstruck expression.
She opened her mouth and shut it again, suddenly forgetting how to speak. How do you let the words come out of your mouth, again?
"Quinn? Are you okay?" Rachel giggled as she took Quinn's hands.
Quinn? What's that? Was that her name?
"Who's Quinn?" she blurted out, head tilted in confusion.
"It's you, silly!" Rachel giggled again as she wrapped her arms around her neck.
"Wait- oh," Quinn said, finally snapping out of her Rachel-Berry-kissed-her stupor. "So, uh, you liked my surprise?"
"Of course I did, you dork," Rachel said with a roll of her eyes. Then, with a raise of an eyebrow, she added, "Did you literally just forget your name when I kissed you? God, I thought that kind of thing was a myth! I mean, how is it possible that you can make someone forget their name by-"
This time, it was Quinn that surged forward to crash their lips together in order to stop Rachel from her rambling. She smiled when she felt Rachel go limp, her hands moving to hold her waist. Feeling brave, Quinn swiped her tongue against Rachel's lips, earning a small whimper followed by a moan.
"Sweet Barbra," Rachel mumbled, a dazed look on her face as Quinn pulled away. "I did kind of forget everything there for a while," she admitted with a sheepish grin.
Quinn laughed and wrapped her arms around Rachel's waist, pulling her close. The brunette sighed contentedly as she rubbed the back of Quinn's neck, their gazes locked onto each other.
"And just so you know, I loved watching you play the guitar. You don't have to be a guitar god for me to be attracted to you, Quinn. So thank you, for taking the time to learn how to play the guitar just to woo me," Rachel said with a soft smile as she caressed Quinn's cheek. "And for the gifts and the sweet messages. I really do appreciate the effort you put into them. Especially the CD."
"Of course, Rachel. Anything to make you happy," Quinn said with a small shrug. "So, uh, will you go out with me?" she added nervously, unknowingly holding in her breath as she waited for Rachel's answer.
"Yes! I mean, that is the most natural thing to do, right?" Rachel answered without missing a single beat, making Quinn grin widely.
"And, uh, it's over with Finn?" Quinn clarified, looking at Rachel hopefully.
"Of course. I should think that you deserve that much," Rachel said reassuringly as she rubbed Quinn's arm.
"Thank you, Rach," Quinn breathed out.
"No, Quinn. Thank you for letting me know that I do deserve better," Rachel smiled as she patted Quinn's cheek.
Grinning goofily, Quinn lifted Rachel off the ground and spun her around, the sound of delighted giggles filling the whole auditorium.
Operation: Woo Rachel Berry was definitely a success.