Quack Prompt from mykindofparty: Quinn learns an embarrassing secret about The Mack.

They had been officially dating for two weeks when Quinn first noticed the way Mack stuffed her laces into her boots rather than tying them. At the time, she had thought it was just Mack being lazy, and didn't mention it. As the weeks passed, however, she found herself watching Mack put on her boots and shoes. She would always tighten the laces, but instead of tying them, she would shove them between the sides of her shoes and her feet. It was a little puzzling, but Quinn stayed quiet and decided Mack probably thought tying her shoes was a waste of time. It was easier to leave them untied and slip them off later. It made sense in a Mack sort of way.

The night she found out the truth, they were getting ready to go see a movie. Mack had come to Quinn's house several hours early so they could spend the afternoon together. It had gone well until the moment they were getting ready to walk out the door. Quinn had watched for the umpteenth time as Mack slipped her boots on and stuffed the laces.

She rolled her eyes. "Mack, would it kill you to tie the damn things just once?"

Mack looked up from her feet with wide eyes. "Um… I didn't think you noticed."

"Well I did, and it's been driving me nuts for weeks," Quinn said. "Does it really take that much more effort to tie them?"

Mack's face turned a dark shade of red and she looked back down at her boots. "Maybe."

Quinn sighed and shook her head. "Forget it. Let's just go. It's not like anyone is going to notice at the movie theater anyway."

Mack was quiet during the drive to the theater. And even though they held hands during the movie, Mack didn't lean against her the way she normally did when they watched stuff together. Quinn would look at her sporadically and instead of watching the movie, Mack would be looking down at her feet.

After the movie, the ride back to Quinn's house was as quiet as the ride to the theater until Quinn spoke up. "I'm sorry about what I said earlier. It's totally fine if you don't want to tie them," she said. "It just seems kind of silly that you don't."

She had been hoping for some sort of response, but Mack stayed quiet. Quinn sighed and decided to look out the window until they got back to her place. When they approached the door, Mack stopped and shifted her weight from one foot to the other.

"Don't tell me you're just going to leave now," Quinn said when she noticed her girlfriend had stopped. "Mack, I said I was sorry. I was just being an idiot earlier."

"I don't know how to tie them," Mack said. The crimson color from earlier crept up to her cheeks again and she quickly looked down before she could see the way Quinn looked at her. She had been hoping her girlfriend hadn't noticed. It wasn't exactly something she was proud of admitting. Normally, if someone brought it up, she stuck their head in a toilet. She doubted that was an option with Quinn. Admitting it hadn't been high up on her list of options either, but it seemed to be the only one she had left.

It was more embarrassing than the time she told Quinn she had really been named Bailey because her Ma and Pops had screwed in the Lima bowling alley.

"I wish you would have told me sooner." Quinn sighed. "I've been getting pissed because I thought you were being lazy."

"No, just stupid."

"You're not stupid just because you can't do something," Quinn said before taking Mack's hand and giving it a gentle tug. Mack looked up to find her girlfriend smiling at her. "Now come inside. You may not be able to tie your shoelaces, but you can cuddle with the best of them, and I missed it during the movie."

"Only if you promise to make popcorn. You kinda ate all of ours at the theater," Mack said as she followed her girlfriend inside.

Quinn rolled her eyes. "That's what you get for staring at your feet for an hour and a half."

But she did end up making popcorn before they curled up on the couch together to watch television. When Quinn turned on the TV, Spongebob was the first show that flickered across the screen, and to Mack's horror, he was singing that idiotic song about tying his shoes.

"Not a damn word, Fabray," Mack hissed as she took the remote and quickly changed the channel.

"I wasn't going to say anything."