Started my daily ficlets to make the hiatus pass, then decided to keep going with a 2nd cycle, and then a 3rd, 4th, etc through 73rd cycle. Now cycle 74!

"Can & Can't Do"
Rachel/Quinn
Runaway Bride series
(no listings yet; sequel to "Tales of New Things")

As crafty as they had gotten to be about taking their dates out into the outside world, their movie nights would always hold a special place for them, and they tended to prefer cozying up together for a double or triple feature at either of their homes than anything else. That was what they had in mind for that night, and for all they knew, that was all it would be.

That was until Rachel's fathers, as they were at her house, saw what movie they were about to watch, and asked if they could join in. There was one fleeting moment where the two girls had shared a look, asking one another what they were supposed to do, but there was no reason they could give that would stand, so the only answer they could give was to tell them to take a seat. At the very least, Rachel's fathers had taken the second couch and there was no chance of them sandwiching Rachel and Quinn in between them.

Even with the couch to themselves, both Rachel and Quinn were finding it hard to put their hands anywhere else but in their laps, or to sit too close to each other, when Hiram and Leroy were right there. Rachel would throw a look of apology to her girlfriend, while Quinn for her part was resisting letting out a laugh.

It wasn't as though the two fathers did not know about them, and they had definitely lost some of their nerves after the day Hiram had accidentally walked in on them, locked in what could only be described as a heated embrace. It might have been more of a lasting trauma for Rachel – and Hiram, too – if any clothing had been removed at the time, and certainly if he'd come even a minute later that might have been the case, but it didn't change that Rachel had been completely mortified. Quinn was almost certain that the memory of that afternoon was rolling on repeat in the other girl's head.

"Just focus on the movie, forget the rest," Quinn had leaned in to whisper at her ear, and though Rachel flinched for a moment, her eyes darted over and then turned back to the screen, willing herself to concentrate. It worked, even to the point that, by halfway through the movie, she had allowed herself to lean to the side and rest her head on Quinn's shoulder. The blonde smiled, satisfied, and she settled herself more comfortably, Rachel doing the same.

If Hiram or Leroy had noticed any of it, they made no mention of it. They did however spend most of the movie arguing with each other over what was happening on screen. Evidently Leroy had read the book on which it was based and was unable to keep from expressing his grievances over the changes which had been made, leading his husband to counter those grievances. They did their best to keep their voices low, but with time the efforts were barely worthy of being called trying anymore.

When the movie was done, they had retired from the living room, leaving the girls to carry on with their movies on their own, while they took their discussion upstairs. They could still hear them in the distance for some time, not that they let themselves sit there and strain their ears.

"Hey," Quinn smiled down to her girlfriend, brushing hair away from her forehead. "Want me to put on another one?" she asked, pressing a light kiss to the space she'd cleared.

"Sure," she sat back up and stood, moving to the shelves. With how quickly she found and swapped the DVD, Quinn had to squint and try to see what it was. When she glimpsed the box, she blinked.

"We watched that one just last week, didn't we?"

"We did," Rachel nodded, walking back, and there was something not lacking in mischief in her eyes. "So it won't be so much of a problem if we get distracted, will it?" she asked, sitting back down as the opening credits began to roll on the screen.

"Look at you, girl with the plan," Quinn smirked.

"That would be me," Rachel agreed, beaming.

"Shhh, it's rude to talk," the blonde leaned in to kiss her, and the laughter that preceded it was like a rush of warming fire going through her. She didn't know what it was about the feeling of Rachel's hands at her back that put her so at ease, but what she did know was that she could hold on to her for as long as she wanted. They were kissing with a fierceness that had grown out of the weeks and the months building up to it, and she never wanted them to lose this urgency, this need for each other's touch.

"Wait!" Rachel suddenly pulled back to whisper, and they froze, both of them panting. The voices upstairs had stopped.

"You were still listening to that? Seriously?" Quinn frowned.

"Subconsciously, I guess, just…" she held up her hand to make her wait as she listened. A few seconds went by, then…

"Goodnight, girls!" Hiram's voice came from upstairs.

"Goodnight, Dad!" Rachel called up.

"Goodnight, sir!" Quinn followed.

"Check the door after Quinn leaves, will you, sweetheart?"

"I always do!" Rachel groaned. Hiram didn't reply, but a few seconds later they heard a door shut. "They're going to bed," she declared, as Quinn buried her face in her neck.

"Maybe we should do the same," she gave a kiss and then another.

"You know I can't, not with them…" Quinn continued kissing her neck, climbing up nearer to her ear. She knew what it did to Rachel when she went at her ear, and Rachel knew that she knew: she was going to make her come to her side of it. "Quinn…" Rachel breathed, while Quinn hummed innocently, her hand meandering under her skirt. When her fingers reached, Rachel gasped and said "Basement!" Quinn pulled back, giving a triumphant smirk. Rachel tried to look annoyed, but at this point all she could feel was warmth and electricity and an overwhelming need to tear every last piece of clothing off of the blonde, so when Quinn stood, she was right behind her.

The small space they had converted into a guest bedroom had not been used by the girls for the first time that night. Rachel wasn't meaning to keep count, but she knew it would be the fourth time they had sex in that bed. The first time, in any bed, had been here as well, one afternoon a few weeks back, and she would not soon forget it. She'd never felt anything like it before, but she would feel it again, in this bed and the one in her room upstairs, in Quinn's bed, and one time the week before, in the back of Quinn's car in her garage… She hadn't forgotten that one either.

"No, wait," Rachel said as she closed the door, seeing Quinn reach to pull off her shirt. She moved up to the blonde, looked into her eyes, looked at her. "Let me," she insisted. Quinn smirked, letting her hands release. Rachel stepped up, grasping the shirt and pulling it over her girlfriend's head. "We have to be quiet this time," she looked her in the eye.

"I'll try, but you don't make it easy," Quinn countered, as Rachel reached around to undo her skirt.

"Neither do you," she smiled, staring at her. "You're just so beautiful, I can't help it."

"Shhh," Quinn took a step forward, capturing her mouth. "It's rude to talk."

THE END

A/N: This is a one-shot ficlet, which means that signing up for story alert will not bring you any alerts.
In the event of a sequel, the story will be separate from this one. And as chapter stories go, they are
always clearly indicated as such [ex: "Days 204-210" in the summary] Thank you!