This was the first fanfic I ever started so I'm sorry I basically abandoned it. :( I've decided to basically reboot it and clean it up a bit, as well as add some more stuff. So it'll be much different than it was before now that my writing muse has returned to me and I have more time on my hands haha.
I have no idea how long this fic will be, it's basically about them growing up in the city and all that that entails so I could do anything with it, really. But anyways, hope you all enjoy!
Disclaimer: I don't own Glee or any of its characters. They belong to Ryan Murphy and all the other writers :)
Rated M, just to be safe. P.S: Since there were nine chapters, updates should come more quickly. ;)
Rachel Berry stared up at the ceiling, realizing hours ago she definitely wouldn't be able to sleep tonight. Not only was she in an unfamiliar bedroom, but the constant flashing of the lights outside and the sound of moving traffic was louder than she had ever imagined. And she had been imagining this since she was practically a toddler.
Don't misunderstand though, Rachel loved New York City and always had. Living in this city had been one of her biggest dreams ever since that very first glimpse of it in her favorite musical. But coming from the quiet, very rural town of Lima Ohio, she had in no way expected the noise to bother her this much. Nor had she expected to feel so homesick and miss her parents so much. She used to fantasize all the time about what living in the big city would be like and now she realized that living here would be so different than what she was used to. In short; she was terrified.
The only bright spot in her world of uncertainty was that she was not alone. Her best friend, (And quite possibly the only real friend she'd had in high school) Kurt Hummel haled from the same town and was going to school in the same area, though he was going to a fashion institute while she was going to a music academy. But nonetheless, having someone she loved to fall back on gave her the little bit of comfort she needed to push through her nerves and fear.
No one tells you how terrifying real life is before you graduate. It's all about excitement and dreams of the future. But when you really get there you realize it's not all sunshine and roses. Rachel was now beginning to find out how true this really was.
She turned onto her side, unable to help herself from smiling softly at the sight of the twinkling lights outside her window. It may have been loud, but damn it was beautiful. Sighing and knowing she wasn't going to be falling asleep anytime soon, she flipped her covers off her body and gently stepped onto the creaking floor, wary of waking Kurt whose room was right next to hers and only separated by some burgundy curtains.
She slipped on her slippers and robe, wanting to just watch some television and have a hot cup of tea. Maybe that would help her fall asleep a little, she was willing to try anything really. Her mind was running a mile a minute but her body was absolutely exhausted.
School didn't start for another few weeks, but in that time Rachel had several interviews set up at different locations in the area. Mostly food service, but there was also some retail she was vying for. Kurt, bless his soul was also looking for a job and he was most definitely not happy about it. He much preferred to just go to school and not get his hands dirty with something like food service.
But both of their parents had put their foot down on that one, claiming that the two of them would eventually have to start paying rent all on their own, without their help. So Rachel and Kurt had to go through the grueling process of sending in applications online and waiting for a callback. Thankfully though, their parents had also pushed them to get started way before they got here, thus giving them an ample amount of time.
It still sucked though. She was hoping she wouldn't have to get a real nine-to-nine job until she was in her sophomore year, or at least well into her freshman. It was pretty hard to say no to her parents though, especially when they were paying for her schooling as well as most of the apartments rent.
Pulling her robe more tightly around her chilled body, she tiptoed towards the entrance of her room. Unfortunately, her foot hit one particularly creaky section of the floorboards just as she stepped out from behind her section of the curtains, the wood letting out a low groan from the pressure. "Rachel?" Kurt's voice rang out from somewhere behind the curtains leading to his room.
She really did not want to talk right now but she also didn't want to freak Kurt out and make him think there was an intruder. Knowing she had no choice, she called back to him, "Um, yeah it's me Kurt."
After a moment of silence, she heard him shuffling around before the curtains were pulled back, Kurt's exhausted face meeting her view. His usually perfectly coifed hair was disheveled and sticking out in several places and his "hipster" glasses as he liked to call them, were covering his tired eyes. Clearly he too was having trouble sleeping.
"Can't sleep either?" Kurt eyed Rachel, who was shivering a bit from the cold air.
"No. I've been awake for hours. I just didn't want to wake you." Rachel sighed and slid into one of the stools her dads had bought them. In fact, most of their furniture were all gifts from her parents. Granted, most of it was worn and a little old, but they had just been happy none of their money had to go towards household items.
Kurt wandered around the kitchen for a moment shutting the window that was bringing in the cold air. Then he stood there for a moment with his eyebrows furrowed, trying to remember where all their cups were. Finally he found them, placing them down before filling the tea pot up with water and setting it on the stove.
"I haven't fallen asleep once. The traffic is really loud out there. And we're on the seventh floor for god's sake!" Kurt threw his hands up exasperated. "I guess I just didn't expect it to be just as loud as it was this afternoon. It is quite literally 'the city that never sleeps'. I really didn't understand that expression until now."
Rachel giggled as Kurt leaned back against the counter, crossing his arms. He was so cranky when he hadn't gotten any sleep and the sight of his grumpy face pouting made her laugh. Even though she completely agreed with his assessment.
"I know what you mean. I also didn't expect to feel so homesick. I miss my dad's bringing me water when I was feeling sad. I know it's only the third day we've been away, but it feels like it's been weeks. And I… I also miss Jesse." Rachel rested her head on her hand. Just thinking about her ex-boyfriend made her simultaneously sad and angry.
They had been together since her sophomore year, having come from rival schools but still falling in love regardless of their show choir instructors' dislike of their relationship. He had treated her well and stuck with her all the way until her senior year even though he was two years older than her, something that rarely happened with high school couples.
It was only after she told Jesse about her plans to move to New York and attend NYADA that he just became furious with her, claiming that if she could so easily leave him, she must have never loved him at all. He yelled at her and broke up with her right there in the middle of the park. He didn't even give her a chance to explain that she wanted him to come with her.
But he was so blinded by his anger at her that he just called her a few horrible names and stalked off, his vintage scarf trailing behind him in the wind and throwing away everything they had without a second glance.
It wasn't until days later that Kurt's friend Mercedes said something that made her understand why he'd been so upset. NYADA was the school that had rejected him two years before that. Getting rejected from his dream school had completely put him in a funk from what Rachel could remember and he ended up blowing all his other auditions from the other performing arts schools as a result of all his disappointment. Thus, crushing any hopes he had of being on Broadway. It was the reason he stayed behind in Lima and helped coach his old show choir.
But despite his disappointment at what happened, Rachel knew she didn't deserve to be humiliated and yelled at in front of so many people in a public place. She hadn't seen or heard from him since their breakup a months and a half ago.
Kurt waved her off. "You should not be missing that jackass Rachel. He doesn't deserve any of your attention after the way he treated you. I don't care if he was feeling sorry for himself or not. He should've been happy for you." Kurt huffed, still angry at the way his friend was treated. Nobody deserved to be treated like that, especially when that person should've been getting support.
"But let's not talk about that idiot. You know your dads are just a call or skype away. Call them in the morning. They'd love to hear about how your interview went today." Kurt suggested, pulling the whistling pot off the stove and pouring some hot water into both of their coffee cups.
"I know you're right, but that doesn't help me right now. Besides, you know my interview went poorly. They'll be disappointed." She pouted, "I just miss them like crazy. Heck, I'd even go as far as to say I miss Lima."
Kurt raised an amused eyebrow at her. "As dramatic as ever Rachel Berry." He chuckled to himself. "Look, this is only our third day here in the city, let's give it some time. You do not want to go back to that cow town. I'm sure we'll get used to it here and before we know it, we'll be into the groove with school, new jobs, and hopefully some social lives. Maybe we can even find you some sexy New Yorker to get your mind off boring old Jesse." Kurt winked, passing Rachel her cup of tea. After placing her tea bag into it
Rachel leaned down and inhaled the smell of the warm peppermint tea, glancing up at her best friend with a timid smile. "Where would I be without Kurt Hummel here to pick me up when I'm feeling sad?" Rachel giggled as Kurt tapped her nose in response before he made his way over to the sofa, his tea clutched between his hands.
"You would definitely be lost, that's for sure. Especially when it comes to your wardrobe." Kurt set his cup onto the coasters Rachel insisted on having, turning to look at her with a smile. "Now come and watch some trashy reality TV with me. I recorded an old episode of the Kardashians last night. It's the one where Kim thinks Scott is cheating on Kourtney." He winked, picking up the remote.
Rachel giggled, picking up her tea and following in his footsteps, placing her tea on the other coaster and grabbing the duvet that was resting on the back of the couch. Laying it over both their laps, she reached over and gave Kurt a small hug, never more grateful for his presence in her life than she was right now. He rubbed her back in response, pushing up his glasses that had tilted a bit as they pulled away.
"I love you Kurt." She bumped his shoulder as he flicked through the channels.
"I love you too diva. Things will get better. We just have to push through our own fears and let ourselves enjoy everything that happens to us." He grabbed his tea again after settling on the desired channel, sending her another little smile.
She heaved another big sigh, reminding herself of why she was here in the first place. She was here to be a star, to achieve the dreams she'd had since she was a little girl. And neither Jesse, nor her own fears were going to stand in the way of that. Nothing will. She promised herself.
Feeling much better about everything than she was before, she allowed herself to slip into a more comfortable state of mind. One that was more excited at the prospect of being parent-free in the city of her dreams.
Because let's face it, wasn't that every high school graduates dream? To be with their best friend in a huge parent-less city with only their dreams to guide them? The more she thought about it, the more she became content. Kurt was right, things were going to get better before she even realized it.
Her tea only halfway finished, she dosed off with the gentle sound of the TV in her ears, her head falling onto Kurt's shoulder and her mind finally content enough to let go and allow her some sleep.
Making her way out of diner, Rachel sighed and rubbed her temples. Feeling indescribably irritated and exhausted. Of all the job interviews she'd had the past few days, this was by far the worst one yet. So what if she'd never held down a job before? She was fresh out of high school and these interviewers were making her feel pathetic.
The judgment in their eyes when she'd stumble through an interview question was infuriating. She was perfectly literate and normally quite confident in her answers, yet they all acted like she was some immature young child. These New Yorkers were tough critics.
It annoyed her how different college recruiters looked at her compared to how potential employers looked at her. The recruiters just ate up the amount of high school extra-curriculars Rachel partook in while these people barely asked any questions regarding the matter.
Finding a job clearly wasn't going to be as easy as she was hoping.
Deciding she needed a pick-me-up Rachel continued down the street, having spotted a cute little coffee shop down the street on her way to the interview. It was called Heart of Rock & Roll and it looked like a quiet, peaceful place for her to just relax after yet another humiliating job interview.
She pushed through the big black door and was greeted by the smell of freshly brewed coffee and the small chatter of a few patrons scattered throughout the store. Never being much of a coffee drinker, Rachel peered up at the menu and slowly moved her eyes down to the tea section.
"Next." A young man's voice cut through her tea-filled thoughts.
She smiled politely at him and stepped up to the black and white counter. "Hi, I'll have an iced green tea latte please. Light on the ice." Rachel pulled her wallet out of her bag, noting the guys' adorable curly black hair that was slightly fuzzy from the heat in the shop.
"Coming right up." He grinned, "You can sit in one of those stools while you wait." He added, rinsing his hands in the sink before getting to work on her tea.
She nodded and sat down in the seat closest to the corner of the store, exhaling through her nose and letting her eyes slip closed for a moment. Hopefully Kurt was having better luck at his job interview. Their parents were definitely expecting them to have part-time jobs by the time school rolled around.
"Having a rough day?" The man asked sympathetically, his head turned over his shoulder as he shot her a smile.
"Yeah, a very rough day. I just endured a pretty humiliating interview in which the interviewer made me feel like a small child." Rachel rested her elbows on the counter, resting her head on both her hands.
"God, don't you hate people like that? People that act all high and mighty about what they do, like we're just supposed to bow down and kiss their feet? I've definitely experienced my fair share of interviewers like that." The man shook his head, dumping some ice into her cup and pouring the cool, green liquid over the top of it.
"Yes! Exactly. It's so frustrating." Rachel ran a hand through her hair, thanking him as he handed her the tea.
"Their loss then. You shouldn't have to work for some strung up douchebag anyways. You seem like a nice woman." He swiped her credit card and handed it back to her with another sweet smile. "I'm Blaine Anderson by the way." He held out his hand for Rachel to shake.
She took his hand and shook it firmly. "Rachel Berry." She introduced herself, putting on one of her well-practiced show smiles.
He continued to grin as they each pulled their hands away. "So Rachel Berry, are you new to the city?" Blaine asked, swiping a hand towel from under the counter and wiping the surface down after realizing he'd spilt some tea.
"Am I that obvious?" Rachel giggled shyly. She really liked this guy. Maybe he could be the one to make her forget about Jesse. Not to mention he was absolutely freaking adorable. He was just slightly taller than her, so he probably shared all her 'short people insecurities' as she called them, his curly hair was ridiculously cute, and he had a friendly air about him that made him feel approachable and sweet.
"Well, you didn't come in here demanding your usual caramel macchiato with non-fat milk and non-fat whipped cream with a stirring stick on the side. So you didn't seem like the typical New Yorkers that usual come in here." Blaine chuckled.
Rachel laughed. "So all those movies portray it correctly huh?"
"Oh, the movies play it down quite a bit. New Yorkers are really cranky when they haven't had their morning coffee." Blaine laughed along with her, putting the hand towel back before leaning against the counter to talk to her.
Just as she was about to ask Blaine about how long he'd been in New York, there was a crashing noise from somewhere in the back, followed by a screech of indignation from a woman shouting, "Rory! Not again!"
Blaine groaned, letting his head droop a little and only affording Rachel a view of the top of his head. "What was that?" Rachel asked softly, unable to tell if Blaine was upset or not.
She was relieved when he lifted his head again, a slight smile playing on his face. "That was Rory, our newest hirer. It was actually at the request of my roommate that Rory be hired here. My roommate begged and pleaded with me to get his cousin hired. And it's now day 23 and Rory is still dropping cups and plates back there in the washroom." Blaine shook his head, chuckling again. "He's really nice, but he is so uncoordinated. It definitely runs in his family though."
Rachel smiled brightly at him. "Maybe he'll get better with a little more practice."
Blaine snorted in amusement. "Yeah, if our manager doesn't fire him first. Poor kid. I'm sure he misses his family a lot."
"Miss his family? Did something happen to them?" Rachel frowned.
"Oh no," Blaine assured her, "They're fine, they just live overseas in Ireland. Rory is part of the foreign exchange student program. Since they're family, my roommate's family volunteered to house him while he goes to high school here. My high school actually. Fordham Prep. It's the best all-boys school in the area." Blaine smiled proudly.
Rachel's smile faltered a little. Crap, he was in high school? Just her damn luck, she finally meets an adorable guy and he's in high school. "That's nice. What about your parents? Do they live with you and your roommate too?" Rachel asked, trying her best to stifle her disappointment.
"No, my parents live in upper state New York. I had to transfer schools because of, uh, some problems." Blaine answered, his cheeks turning a little pink. "Anyways, Finn was nice enough to let me room with him for a little less than half the rent."
"And Finn is your roommate?" Rachel asked, sipping her tea as she listened. He was quite a welcome distraction from all her problems.
"Yup. He goes to NYU. He graduated two years ago I think." Blaine nodded with a smile, distracted when there was movement behind Rachel. She turned as the sound of footsteps reached her ears.
"Blaine, I cannot handle this kid back here anymore. Switch positions with me please." The girl openly begged. "Just for today."
"But I'm off in half an hour, can't you last that much longer?" Blaine scratched his head as he stared at the fuming blonde woman. Rachel just watched the interaction with an amused glint in her eye.
'No! It was your idea to hire the little leprechaun, so you deal with him." She sniped back, crossing her arms across her chest.
"Kitty…" Blaine sighed, glancing over at Rachel.
"Its fine, this is your job. I've taken up enough of your time." Rachel smiled politely, secretly saddened that she had to leave now. Blaine could be her first real New York friend and she was just getting to know him.
Before Blaine could answer, Kitty interrupted him. "See? Your new friend is totally okay with it. Now move over." Kitty pushed her way to the counter, leaving the young Irish boy standing there looking defeated. His crystal blue eyes were looking downward as if he were ashamed and his light brown hair was bouncing with his movements as he rolled back and forth on his heels.
"Fine. Just give me a minute to say goodbye to my friend." Blaine sighed and tossed Kitty the keys, stuffing his hands in his jeans as he walked over to Rachel. Kitty rolled her eyes and shuffled around the area, effectively ignoring them all now.
"Here," Blaine pulled out his cellphone and placed it in front of her," Put in your cell number and I'll treat you to a real New Yorkers dinner. Maybe I'll even invite my roommate along." Blaine grinned at her, patting a somber looking Rory on the back. "And maybe little Rory here too."
Rory grumbled though there was a teasing smirk on his face, "Little? I'm still bigger than you, ya eejit."
Rachel stifled a giggle at the glaring look on Blaine's face. She had absolutely no idea what Rory had said and whether it was an insult to Blaine or not, but judging by the look on Blaine's face it probably was. "I'd love that Blaine." Rachel beamed instead, punching her number into his phone and handing it back to him.
"Great! I'll text you when I get off work. If my manager catches me on my phone I'll be cleaning the restrooms for weeks. And I wouldn't put it past Kitty to rat me out." Blaine laughed jerking his head towards Kitty who was filing her nails at the counter. He nodded his head at her with a smiel, following Rory who had begun heading to the back room.
Rachel continued smiling at him, waving. "Goodbye Blaine!" She waved, standing up and smoothing out her little black skirt. He waved back until he disappeared through the back door.
Rachel smiled politely at Kitty, turning back to make sure she didn't leave anything behind before she headed out the front door. Not in the mood to go home yet, she quickly texted Kurt and told him not to eat anything because she was going to pick up some Chinese takeout for dinner and get a few groceries.
As soon as she got his okay, she walked around the city for a bit, searching for a grocery store in the area as the clouds got darker and more of them swept across the sun, effectively cutting off all the sunlight.
Quickly getting her errands done, she hurried up the stairs of the busy subway station as was met with a downpour of rain. She cursed her rotten luck and covered the bags of food as best she could, angry at herself for not remembering to pack her emergency umbrella.
She was grumbling unhappily by the time she reached the apartment. Her hair and clothes were soaked, as were her shoes which were now making sloshing sounds as she took steps towards the elevator. Trying to peal her soaked skirt away from her thighs as she cursed aloud this time, she didn't even notice there was a man coming towards her until she slammed right into him, screeching as she was knocked backwards onto her ass.
Furious at herself and this idiot for not watching where he was walking, she lifted her head to glare up at him, feeling soaked and even more miserable than before. Not even meeting someone new and making a friend could turn this day around. This day was officially shit.
What she was met with though, was the concerned face of the most handsome stranger she'd ever met in her entire life. Her glare completely fading from her face, she stared up at him like a fish out of water as he kneeled down to her eye level.
The moment their eyes connected she felt all the breath leave her lungs as her heart thumped painfully in her chest. He had the kindest eyes, eyes that were currently filled with concern for her.
"Shit, are you okay? I'm so sorry, I should've watched where I was going." The man was looking guilty and concerned as he hastily picked up her bags, straightening out the containers of Chinese food in them. He continued mumbling apologies and looked up at her face, his gorgeous, whisky colored eyes softening as he gazed at her.
"It's uh, it's okay." Rachel stuttered, left nearly speechless by this blubbering, adorable man in front of her.
"I was checking the damn scores of the baseball game and I wasn't watching where I was walking. Are you sure you're okay. You flew back pretty hard." He bit his lip worriedly, clearly afraid that he hurt her.
She shook her head as he quickly helped her up, sparks shooting up and down her arm as his hand connected with hers. His hand completely engulfed hers and she was reluctant to let it go, it just felt so good to be holding his hand. And the sparks had yet to cease shooting through her body at his touch.
Glancing at him up and down allowed her realize for the first time how tall he was. He had to have been at least a foot or maybe more, taller than her. She could see why he was so worried, he was a giant compared to her.
She glanced up at him through her lashes, straightening out her skirt and taking her bags from him. "I'm really okay. You just startled me is all." She lied with a smile. In reality, her butt was really sore and she was sure she had a bruise there.
But he was just too damn cute for her to be mad at him. The closer she looked at him, the more she began to admire the little things. Like the little freckles adoring his cheeks and nose, and the cute little 'fin' haircut he had. He was excruciatingly adorable and seemed really concerned about her. That was definitely a plus, he seemed like a giant teddy bear.
"I'm sorry for startling you." He smiled, this really wide smile that made her heart beat erratically in her chest. She literally wanted to dip her tongue into those freaking sexy little dimples that had just made an appearance.
Cool your libido Rachel. You don't even know this guy and you're fantasizing about taking that lower between your teeth and tugging on it like some crazy, sex-hungry hooker. She told herself, covering up her inner dialogue by smiling back up at him and tucking a strand of hair behind her ear.
"Don't worry about it. I wasn't watching where I was going either." She shifted the bags in her hands, feeling a little more confident as his gaze dropped down to her lip, where she was lightly biting down on the pink skin.
"Well I forgive you." He winked at her and smiled goofily, a kind of goofiness she found totally endearing.
She giggled, shaking her head with wide smile as the doors behind them opened and Kurt stopped short at the scene in front of him. He was probably wondering why Rachel was soaked to the bone and talking to some stranger.
"I should go, that's my roommate." Rachel gestured towards Kurt, who was not so subtly trying to listen in while simultaneously shaking out his umbrella.
He grinned at her. "Yeah I have to-" He was stopped short as his cell phone buzzed loudly in his pocket. "I gotta go pick someone up. She refuses to walk in the rain." Finn chuckled, taking out his cellphone. "Sorry again, goodbye." He stared at her another moment, as though in a trance before he blushed and waved, walking away.
"Bye!" She called after him, her heart taking another dip as he turned around for a second and smiled, the phone up against his ear before he turned back towards the door.
"I know we have dinner reservations Quinn, I'm on my way now." He mumbled into the phone, his voice getting quieter and quieter as he walked away.
Rachel however, completely deflated at his words. Quinn. That was definitely a woman. And he said dinner reservations, which meant it was probably his girlfriend.
Disappointed at this new development, but not at all surprised since he was that hot, she felt her shoulders slouch as she turned to the elevator.
Curse her luck! He was the cutest, hottest, most adorably goofy guy she'd ever met and he was taken. Not to mention she'd never felt such a powerful feeling of attraction towards someone before. He made her palms sweat and her heart beat fast.
But he's taken. Rachel reminded herself, smacking her forehead.
Kurt walked up to her and pressed the 'up' button on the elevator. "Who was that fine piece of man?"
"Just someone who lives in the building." Rachel grumbled, stepping into the elevator.
"He was totally checking you out Rach. And he was extremely sexy." Kurt followed her, bumping her shoulder.
"He has a girlfriend. I heard him talking on the phone." Rachel said shortly, her mood dropping even more as she uttered the words.
"You don't know that for sure Rachel." Kurt pointed out.
"Kurt, can we just go eat please? I'm not in the mood." Rachel hurried out of the elevator as the doors opened. She just wanted this day to be over with already.
"Fine." Kurt huffed, following her into the apartment before shutting the door and heading to his room, presumably to get changed into some more comfortable clothes.
Rachel groaned in annoyance as she slammed the bags on the kitchen counter, getting out some plates and utensils as she tried to forget about this crappy day. She really hoped things would get better sooner, rather than later.
Next update: A little bit of Finn's background and definitely some more Finchel interaction. :)