My second Faberry, it's a long one-shot. I hope you all enjoy!
Summary: The first time she asked Rachel out, the shorter girl just walked away.
Pairing: Faberry. Finchel(friendship) Puckleberry(Friendship), Quick(Frienship), Brittana
The first time she asked Rachel out, the shorter girl just walked away.
It hadn't been planned or anything. They'd been friends for a few months and Quinn was past the point of lying to herself. She had eyes; she could see that Rachel was attractive. The fact that Rachel was also amazing in just about every way seemed to be icing on the proverbial cake. So one afternoon, after glee practice, she'd approached Rachel. Unfortunately for her, Santana and Brittany did as well, so she just smiled and listened as her friends spoke. It amazed her, because she, Santana, and Brittany had spent the past three years making Rachel feel less than worthy of having friends but now, in their senior year, the four were best friends. She conceded that she couldn't ask for a better friend and confidante than what she had in Rachel and Brittany kept her laughing now that the girl felt free. And Santana, well, she was Santana but none of that mattered. All that mattered was the way Rachel smiled at her after bidding the two cheerleaders good-bye. Her breath caught in her throat and she offered a small smile back.
"Will you go on a date with me?" she'd asked before she could stop herself. She knew her eyes had to be the size of an owl's right after, hell Rachel's eyes were the same size. The tiny diva sputtered a few minutes, trying to think of a response before she cleared her throat and opened her mouth finally. Quinn waited on bated breath, wishing she could take the question back but also wishing the answer would be yes. She wanted to take Rachel out, buy her dinner and take her to a movie. She wanted to walk the girl home, and kiss her goodnight on the cheek. She didn't want to kiss her on the lips; she wanted to wait a few dates, woo her, and build the anticipation before their first kiss. She wanted Rachel to want the same things. Instead of answering however, Rachel simply did a perfect about face and stalked down the hall in the opposite direction. Quinn didn't try and contact her for the entire weekend.
The second time she'd asked Rachel on a date, it had been two weeks after the first failed attempt. The Monday following Rachel's unfortunate storm-away had been filled with an apologetic, bordering on tearful Rachel apologizing every time she saw Quinn. She'd explained that she was surprised and she really, really didn't like surprises. It didn't really surprise Quinn, Rachel was a bit of a control freak but she was a little hurt. Okay, a lot hurt but seeing the genuine remorse on Rachel's face, she'd forgiven her.
The four of them had fallen right back into their usual pattern, uninterrupted. It passed for two weeks, Quinn watching Rachel lovingly and Rachel watching Quinn shyly. Santana would smirk every time the two would share a little inside joke or a 'married' moment but she wouldn't make a snarky comment.
Quinn waited two weeks, making sure Rachel was over her guilt before trying again. This time, she planned it. She'd waited until she and Rachel could have a few moments alone, she dropped subtle hints the entire day before pouncing. When she approached Rachel's locker, the shorter girl had beamed at her,
"Hey!" she said excitedly. Quinn smiled softly, her eyes getting softer as she looked at Rachel.
"Hey, Rach," Quinn started softly. "Listen, I was wonderin-"
"Rach! You got a second?" Finn had run toward them. Rachel frowned, turning to the tall boy then back to Quinn,
"Actually, Finn, Quinn and I were talking. Could you give us a few minutes?" she asked. Finn looked between them before nodding and standing there patiently.
"Uh…it's kind of private…" Quinn said awkwardly. Finn stood for a beat before blushing,
"Oh! My bad, I'll be over there." He pointed down the hall. Quinn smiled in thanks before turning to Rachel,
"So, I was wondering, would you go on a date with me?" she asked. It wasn't tactful or eloquent. Simple and to the point, much like herself. Rachel had blinked once, twice, and then a third time before her eyes narrowed.
"Are you serious?" she asked lowly. Quinn swallowed, ducking her head but nodding.
"Yeah, I really like you Rachel." She said softly.
"But…you're straight." Rachel responded. Quinn chuckled airily.
"Obviously I'm not as straight as you thought." She teased. When Rachel didn't even crack a smile, she sighed, "Look, if you're not interested, it's okay. It doesn't have to affect our friendship." Quinn offered. Rachel bit her lip,
"I just… it really doesn't make sense that you're asking me out." She said softly. Quinn reached out, cupping Rachel's cheek tenderly.
"I understand, sweetie." She said soothingly. "What if you just...think about it and answer me in a few days?" she offered. Rachel seemed to think it over,
"Okay, Quinn, I'll think about it." Rachel had responded and Quinn beamed.
"Great!" she said happily. "Go on and talk to Finn, I'll grab your books and meet you at my car." She offered. Rachel opened her mouth to protest but Santana approached,
"Shoo." She said hip checking Rachel away from her locker. Just like that, the hesitant Rachel was gone and the annoyed one was back,
"I don't appreciate the way you physically remove me from my own personal space, Santana." She huffed. Santana waved her off,
"Yeah, and your dad doesn't appreciate the way I remove his favorite foods from their homes but that doesn't stop me." She said. Quinn just grinned at the two.
Rachel had told her no. Quinn felt a painful squeeze in her chest, but nodded her head all the same. Rachel seemed sad about it, like she didn't want to turn Quinn down but something caused her too anyway. Quinn had sucked up her hurt and smiled, telling Rachel it was okay and that they were still going to have their buddy date that afternoon.
The third time Quinn asked Rachel out, she did it almost angrily. She wasn't angry at Rachel; no she was angry with herself. Angry for not realizing that Rachel wasn't someone she wanted to give up on sooner. Their friendship became awkward and strained much to her dismay. It had taken her two weeks to figure out that Rachel hadn't wanted to turn her down, but did so out of fear. Fear that trying to pursue something would ruin their friendship. Fear that Quinn was asking her because she was lonely. Fear that she would accept because she was lonely. It took a conversation with Brittany, two cups of coffee, and a musicals marathon for her to figure it out but when she did, she resolved herself. She was going to make herself more accessible to Rachel. She was going to show her she was partner material and then she was going to ask her out again. And she was sure Rachel would accept because she realized they could be good together. It took her another two weeks to finally set that plan into motion.
She would hug Rachel randomly, usually in a hallway full of people and it wouldn't be the typical friendly hug that Brittany gave out. It was much more intimate, the way she would wrap her arms around Rachel and cradle her, as if she were the most precious thing in the world. The first two times, Rachel stiffened and looked around when they pulled away. After that, she just smiled brightly at Quinn.
Next, she moved onto walking Rachel to class and listening to whatever Rachel had to say about anything. She would nod intently, focusing and absorbing it. When it was time to walk Rachel to her next class, she would offer any opinions or input, surprising the small diva. Quinn guessed Rachel was so used to people pretending to listen that having actual proof and acknowledgement of her ideas was a shock. Quinn thought it was a shame.
After that, she moved on to battling Rachel in glee. Whenever Rachel would get high strung and start having a diva fit, Quinn would challenge her fearlessly. She would watch the spark in Rachel's eye as she geared up for an actual argument, not just a back and forth match of who could belittle whose talent the most. She knew Rachel, better than she'd ever imagined she could and she knew Rachel couldn't be with someone who rolled over and played lap dog. Rachel needed someone independent, who could fight her but still respect her. She needed an equal, not a swaying shadow. And boy did it work. Whenever she and Rachel would stand toe to toe, arguing out their points in a screaming match, Rachel would have this glint in her eyes and she would breathe heavily and Quinn thought it was the single most arousing sight ever. Sometimes Rachel would concede Quinn's points and apologize to the group, but there were times when her point was made but Quinn still convinced her to tone it down with everyone.
One of her final tasks was making friends with Rachel's other two best friends; dumb and dumber. More commonly known as Finn and Puck. She didn't hate either boy, but she and Puck still had sketchy moments and she and Finn would never be best friends, that much was obvious. For one, he was an idiot and two, Puckerman was a pervert. But Rachel adored the two and she knew in order to get on Rachel's good side, she would at least have to be able to tolerate them without having homicidal thoughts. After sitting down and explaining herself to the two, it hadn't been that hard. They had both somewhat softened to her, meaning Puck didn't leer at her and Finn didn't glare at her when she flirted with Rachel. Eventually, she started to see the appeal of the two because they were kind of fun. They would explain the video games to Rachel, not in a soft sensitive way but by barking out the orders at her that gave Rachel an adrenaline rush. And they were loyal to her so Quinn approved.
Her final task though? Her final task was speaking with Rachel's fathers. She didn't know why, but it seemed so charming to ask for their permission to court their baby girl. Lewis had squealed like a fan-girl and Jacob had glared. He did not appreciate his baby girl dating anyone, no matter how many people she'd dated in the past. He hated them all. Even though he assured Quinn he liked her, as long as she wasn't dating his baby. Lewis had rolled his eyes and laughed, telling Quinn to treat her with respect and she would have their support. Jacob had huffed, but Quinn had seen the glint in his eyes; he was okay with it.
When the time came to finally ask Rachel, three months to the day since the first time she asked, Quinn figured it would be much simpler. She would ask Rachel, and Rachel, having taken note of all the effort Quinn was making, would say yes.
It wasn't that simple.
When Quinn had asked Rachel, the shorter girl had sighed and looked away. Quinn felt her heart clinching,
"Quinn, I don't…I don't think it's a good idea." She said. Quinn huffed,
"Why not?" she asked. Rachel bit her lip,
"I just don't think it would be the proper course for our relationship to take." She said. Quinn sighed, feeling defeated and let Rachel walk to class alone.
Two periods later, after stewing in the sting of her rejection, Puck had caught her in the hallway and gave her some helpful advice.
"Rachel likes someone to fight for her." he said. She rolled her eyes,
"I'm not going to stroke her ego or humiliate myself just to get a date." She argued. He smiled and shook his head. Not smirked, but smiled,
"You don't have too. Just show her that you know she's worth everything. You can figure out how to do that without humiliating yourself and hamming her up." he shrugged. She sighed,
"Yeah, well, I don't think I can take another rejection." She said sadly. He all but growled,
"Look at it from her side of things," he began. "Since middle school, you were an asshole to her. Like, colossally. Then, we hit high school and no matter how many times you fuck up or she fucks up, she offers her friendship and you rebuke her like she's some kind of evil spirit." He said,
"Bu-"
"I mean, I get it, she kinda fucked you over a few times too. But you made her feel like shit for so long. You dated the quarterback and cheated on him with his best friend. You were in celibacy club and you're Catholic, a very straight Catholic." He continued.
"What does tha-"
"Then finally after junior year, you pull your head out of your ass and become her best friend but you're still straight. Did you even tell her you're attracted to women? Are you attracted to women?" he asked. She bit her lip,
"Well….yes, I am." She said. "No, we never…talked about it."
"Rachel is a lot of things but she has her pride and she won't be someone's experiment." He said softly. "She went through hell with Finn and she doesn't want that in her last year so yeah, she's worried that if she says yes, she'll get too invested again and get hurt." He shrugged.
"I wouldn't…I don't want to hurt her. I just want a chance to be with her and make her happy." She whispered sadly. "I want to…to take her out and hold her hand in the hallway, like any other couple. I just…I want her." she finished. He nodded, standing quietly for a few moments,
"Go to her, hug her, tell her she's worth it, and ask her again." He said. She opened her mouth but he just nudged her, "Go." So she went.
She didn't find Rachel until the end of the day and when she did, she wrapped her arms around the little brunette.
"Quinn!" Rachel cried surprised. Quinn just held her closely,
"Do you like me, Rachel?" she asked into her ear. Rachel shivered but didn't answer. "Answer me please." She requested. She could feel Rachel tremble then finally nod,
"Yes." Rachel said quietly. There were students still in the hall, some of them watching the interaction but Quinn really didn't care.
"I like you too." Quinn said. "I really do and it's not really all that sudden. Think about how I've looked at you over the years, how I've interacted with you, really think about it." Quinn said softly and pulled back a little. She dropped her arms so that they were wrapped around Rachel's waist, holding the brunette to her.
"You…you were hiding all this time?" Rachel whispered. Her eyes were wide and shined a little,
"I was scared, so scared." She said honestly. "At first, it was because I was so…I felt like there was no way you would ever want me." She said. She took a breath, "But then, you started to show hints of…interest and I panicked, because if you wanted me and I wanted you, my parents wouldn't want me." She said sadly.
Rachel's heart broke for her.
"But then…then I was…I thought it was too late for a chance with you so I just…I kept it going. All the way up until the end of junior year that is." She said smiling fondly. Rachel glared a little,
"I'm still a little upset about how our friendship started." Quinn rolled her eyes,
"And I've apologized repeatedly for almost running you over with a grocery cart." She said. Rachel grumbled but looked up at Quinn. "You've been through so much in the past few years and I want...I want your last high school memories to be happy ones, Rach." She said with a shrug. "You like me, I like you, I could make you really happy." She said confidently.
"But what about your parents?" Rachel asked throwing her a curve ball. Quinn sighed annoyedly,
"They kicked me out when I needed them, do you really think I'm going to let them dictate who I date?" she asked hotly. Rachel shrank back a little and Quinn sighed again, "I just, I don't think it's fair to me or to you to let them control something that could make me so happy." She said. Rachel bit her lip and looked away,
"I wouldn't…we could keep it a secret." She said finally. Quinn melted at the vulnerable tone then she felt surprising anger course through her.
"Why?" she asked tightly. Rachel shrugged,
"Quinn, you worked so hard to become popular again, I wou-"
"You think my popularity is more important?" Quinn asked pulling away. Truth be told, she was a little offended of how little Rachel obviously thought of her. Rachel nodded sadly,
"I'm not…people wouldn't care if you were dating Santana." She said slowly.
"What people think about who I date doesn't matter anymore to me." Quinn said crossing her arms defensively. "Every time you reject me, you never say you're uninterested but I have to ask, is that it, Rachel? Are you just not interested? Because it's really okay." She said.
"I'm interested, very interested." Rachel said matter-of-factly. "But I know that we're still in high school and no matter how invincible you think you are people can be cruel."
"I can handle it if you can." Quinn shot back. Rachel ducked shyly, going from almost combative to hesitant in the blink of an eye,
"I would be honored to date you, Quinn. Anyone would." She said.
"I'm sensing a but." Quinn said dryly.
"But I'm afraid." Rachel said finally. Quinn threw her arms up helplessly,
"Of what?" she asked.
"Of you breaking my heart." Rachel whispered her voice small. Quinn puffed out her cheeks, looking off to the side. She idly noted that the halls were almost clear,
"I can't promise I wont." She said realistically. "I can't promise you wont break mine either, I just don't have that ability to give either of us false hope." Rachel nodded resignedly. "But I can promise that if you just give me, us, a chance I'll make sure we make the most of it. I wouldn't…I couldn't hide this, Rachel. I couldn't stand the thought of someone in this school thinking you're single."She said blushing some. "I don't want someone asking me out, because I want to be with just you." She added simply. Rachel smiled at her a little, biting her lip bashfully,
"Really?" she asked. Quinn nodded seriously,
"Really really." She said. "I promised your dads I would treat you with the respect you deserve and you deserve to be more than a dirty little secret. You are more than a dirty little secret." Quinn said.
"My dads?" Rachel asked confused. Quinn blushed,
"Yeah…I kinda asked them if I could court you." She said, her cheeks tinted red. Rachel laughed delightedly,
"Quinn Fabray, that is…." She trailed off shaking her head affectionately. "That is the sweetest, most chivalrous think anyone has ever done." She finished softly. Quinn shrugged and Rachel took a deep breath, "I think…I think one date, to-to test the waters would be a good start." She said hesitantly. Quinn looked up at her, her eyes hopeful,
"Really?" she asked. Rachel nodded,
"Yes." She said then smiled, "Yes." Quinn beamed; this was going to be worth it.
The fourth time Quinn asked Rachel on a date, it was five years later. They were lying in bed, facing each other when Quinn smiled softly.
"I love you." She said rubbing her nose against Rachel's. Rachel beamed back,
"I love you too." She said back. It was their first apartment together, having lived separately with their respective roommates since starting college. They'd both recently graduated and were living in Boston, much to everyone's surprise.
Rachel had always wanted Broadway; she wanted it so bad she could taste it. But while she'd been in school, she found another love. Oh, it was still a love of braodway, but not in the way people imagined. She found that she wanted to share her love of music with an audience who appreciated her. An audience who would clap when she finished a rendition of On My Own and not out of politeness or because it was expected, but because they felt her passion, because they shared her passion. She wanted to be a musical theatre instructor. Because of her degree in performing arts, it was fairly easy to find a suitable job and the teens loved her. Don't get her wrong, she was still going to be on braodway one day, but right now, she was more than happy to teach a few people a few tricks all the while having her own little band of followers. Quinn often teased that she became an instructor because it meant she always had an audience. Rachel admitted it was somewhat true.
"Will you go on a date with me?" Quinn asked. Rachel jerked in response, having been lost in her thoughts and smiled,
"Of course baby, where do you wanna go?" she asked. Quinn smiled and turned away,
"Somewhere outside, with a Rabbi and your parents and my mom; and our friends and your students." She said holding a small box out to Rachel. Rachel gasped,
"Quinn, are you…?" she railed off. Quinn took the solitary diamond ring from the box,
"I was kind of hoping this date would last the rest of our lives though." She continued. She held the ring firmly, grasping Rachel's left hand, "So, will you go out with me until you're old and grey and even after?" Quinn asked jokingly but on the inside she was screaming. Rachel stared at the ring before breaking out into a huge smile,
"Yes." She said. "A hundred times yes." She said leaning forward and kissing Quinn. Quinn laughed tearfully, sliding the ring onto Rachel's finger and kissing the area. "I love you…so much." She said holding her fiance close. Quinn smiled, looking up at the ceiling and mouthing 'thank you' to God.