A/N: Faberry oneshot number three. I love this pairing. (: Not too happy with the ending of this one, but hey.
Reviews are nice.
"So, I guess we have to choose a song," Rachel says, running a hand through her hair. This was not the pairing she had hoped for when Mr Schue had suggested splitting up. The blonde girl leaning against the teacher's desk didn't look too pleased either.
Quinn just nods, still not looking at Rachel even though they've been in the room together for the past ten minutes.
"Well, do you have any ideas we cou-" the star begins to ask, but cuts herself off abruptly. Quinn's crying. Quinn Fabray is crying in front of her and she has no idea what to do. Her eyes flicker between the door and the cheerleader's broken form, but in her heart she knows she can't just leave the blonde distraught. It's not the good thing to do - it's what Quinn would do if she was sobbing like this. She isn't Quinn. Which is why she takes a tentative step towards the girl, even though every cell in her body was screaming for her to retreat. Begging her to find Finn, or Brittany, or anyone who can bring this girl comfort while she's at a safe distance.
She swallows around the lump that's formed in her throat, willing herself to say something, anything to stop this beautiful creature from crying. "Quinn? What's wrong? Is it because you don't want to work with me, because I know this isn't how we pictured pairing up to sing but-"
"Berry, will you shut up?" Rachel flinches and looks back up from the floor, surprised to find that the pregnant girl is looking back at her with a teary smile. "I just- Hormones, y'know?" Quinn doesn't even believe the words that come out of her mouth, so there's no way she can expect Rachel to.
"Quinn, I know we're not friends. But I'm not Finn, I'm not going to judge you." Now that she's here, and the other girl hasn't bitten her head off, Rachel finds the words come much easier for her. She's determined to be a solace to the girl, even if she can't explain why it's so important. Quinn Fabray has never done anything nice for her.
The other girl grimaces noticeably at the mention of her ex-boyfriend, and the brunette walks close enough to put a hand on the troubled girl's shoulder. To her surprise, the other girl leaned into her touch and Rachel felt the butterflies in her stomach flutter back into life. It must just be because they were talking about Finn. It had nothing to do with Quinn.
Quinn knew nothing of the troubled thoughts whirling in her enemy's head. All she could think about was what had happened with Finn, and doing so made her shuffle just a fraction closer to Berry again. She'd gotten back to his house after sectionals to find her things strewn all over the lawn. As if it weren't bad enough, she'd had most of the neighbours watching and trying to hide their smirks while she went about picking up her belongings and trying to wipe the mud off of Mr Beary's head. She was drawn out of the memory by the feel of gentle fingers brushing through her hair, and her eyes sought out Rachel's. "I don't want to burden you," she explains, and her voice cracks.
Rachel can see in her eyes that it's the truth. And the truth is the most breathtaking shade of green she's ever seen. As Quinn gingerly peels herself away from the singer, Rachel lets out the breath she didn't know she was holding. Before she can stop herself, she asks the question she's been dying to find the answer to: "What are you so afraid of, Quinn?"
The cheerleader's eyes widen in shock, and she stands up to leave. "I have no idea what you're talking about, manhands." She says this, even now knowing that the hands stroking her locks had been far from masculine. She needed to act like things were normal, like the thing she was afraid of wasn't Rachel Berry. She's about to rush out of the empty classroom until she sees the dejected look on the star's face. Suddenly, guilt scratches at her stomach and she feels like she's just kicked a puppy. An extremely annoying puppy. "You really wanna know what's biting at me?" Her voice sounds so small and uncertain, that Rachel's tempted to scoop her up into her arms and tell her that everything's going to get better. Except she doesn't know that things will.
Quinn continues, unaware of the inner workings of the other girl's mind. "I am so afraid of falling." There's desperation in her voice and tears in her eyes and she needs what she just said to go right over Rachel's head. It seems like for once God is listening to her, because Rachel's brow furrows and if Quinn weren't so upset she would think it was the most adorable thing she'd ever seen. "I'm so in love with someone, but they'll never look at me. They're in love with someone else, and I've lost whatever chance I had." The cheerleader doesn't know why she's spilling all these deep, personal thoughts but the floodgates have finally burst and she can't hold all of this in any more. It hurts too much.
"I'm sure Finn will come around," Rachel offers, but she's unsure if it's the answer that the blonde is looking for. When she is given the most withering look imaginable, she knows that it isn't.
"Fuck Finn!" Quinn exclaims, frustrated and infuriated at how blind the starlet can be. "I don't love him, I have never loved him! Fucking hell, Berry, I'm in love with you!" Quinn fights back more tears, knowing that this isn't how it was supposed to be. She'd made the statement now and there was no way she could take it back, no matter how much she wished she could. Her voice drops to its normal level as she somehow manages to do damage control.
"I love everything about you and I hate it. I love the way your eyes light up when you sing." Her lower lip quivers slightly, but she manages to keep going, "I love the way you can take charge of a situation. I love the way you saved us at sectionals. I love the way you always make me need to smile, even when I want to cry. Jesus, I even love the way you think you can pull off black with navy. I am so afraid of falling, Rachel. But you? You can make me fly." Throughout the entire speech, Rachel's mouth has been opening and closing like a goldfish and Quinn can't blame her. It's quite the bombshell she's just dropped.
As quickly as it had come, all the confidence she had had dropped away and she was the same scared, defenceless little girl she had been when her father had confronted her. She turned on her heel, ready to flee when one of Rachel's perfectly manicured and totally not manly hands grabbed her's. "Wait. Please, just wait." Despite her instincts, the cheerleader nodded and stayed rooted to the spot. She was too scared to do anything else. The brunette takes a deep breath, and then her beautiful singing voice fills the room, "Don't be afraid to fall, you know the ground is never too far from the sky." She smiles when Quinn cuts in with the next line, and she can tell it's a question. A question she just doesn't know the answer to.
"And they can have their walls, you know the universe has bigger plans for you and I?"
Rachel splays her fingers beneath the other girl's chin, tilting it up so that they're looking into one another's eyes. "So baby hold up your head now, don't ever let them see you cry." There is silence for a moment as both girls stop, and then Quinn does something she's always longed to. Her lips find Rachel's, in the shortest kiss imaginable. She pulls back, and instantly her eyes widen, mortified. Rachel tries to explain the fireworks in her skull.
"Fuck, Rach, I'm sorry. I-" She's cut off as Rachel crashes their lips together again, pushing them both back against the desk. It's all she's ever dreamed of and more – Rachel tastes kind of like strawberries, but better. Then when the other girl's tongue runs seductively over her bottom lip, she's fairly certain she died and went to heaven.
Reluctantly, she tries to pull away and find out exactly what is going on in the star's head but Rachel wraps her arms around Quinn's neck and pulls her even closer. The cheerleader can't bring herself to complain, instead placing her hands on Rachel's hips and throwing herself even further into the kiss. Given that this might be the only chance she gets to do this, she isn't going to waste a second. When Rachel deepens the kiss and their tongues begin a complex dance, Quinn can't help but moan into her crush's mouth. It's this that brings Rachel to her senses, and Quinn scolds herself for being too forward. The fact that Rachel had kissed her didn't seem to register.
Rachel swallows nervously, then sings another part of their earlier duet. For the first time in her life, her voice shakes. "If only you could see that there is so much more to life than this – and everything you are is beautiful, you are everything there is."
Quinn just smiles a smile that could light up all of Lima, then pulls the girl in for another kiss.