A/N: I know, I haven't finished Divine Intervention yet, but I haven't really had inspiration for that and it's not getting the kind of responses that help motivate me. I got this idea the other day and just started writing, and this was what came out of it. I hope you enjoy!
Also: This story is pretty much all AU. It dips into canon for a few minor details, but other than that, most things are different. I hope you enjoy!
Rachel Berry didn't know how much her life was going to change the day she had seen the two guys carrying boxes out of a moving truck- right into the apartment building in ol' Bushwick. It came as a definite shock; they didn't have many neighbors to begin with so getting more really only meant one thing: more college students.
Being the kind of person she is she immediately walked up to the door and waved at the blonde guy when he returned down the stairs, the brunette in tow.
"Hello there! I'm Rachel- I live on the third floor. Do you guys need any help with the boxes?" She asked, watching as the brunette simply walked past the other to the moving truck.
"I'm Sam, that's Blaine." Sam openly stated, pointing to Blaine as the shorter guy moved past them again to walk into the building. "I'd love some help, even though I think we've got it. It'd be cool to meet our neighbors, though. We're on the third floor too." The guy gave her a dopey smile as he led her to the truck, and handed her a medium-weight box before grabbing himself a heavier one.
"So how long have you two been together?" Rachel asked, letting herself assume. She looked down in the box she was carrying out of curiosity and saw that it was full of books. New, old, well-loved and even collector's editions. Whoevers this was, they had a marvelous collection.
"Oh, we're not together." Sam explained, walking up the stairs. "Blaine's my best friend."
"Sam's sister and I are here for school and he tagged along. Speaking of, be careful with those books- Quinn'll throw a fit if you do any damage to any of those." Blaine commented as he walked back down the stairs.
Rachel was already intrigued by her new neighbors.
They repeated the process several times, making small talk here and there until the last box was taken up. By that point, Santana was already off work and had showered without Rachel even knowing, having taken the door on the other side of the building to go upstairs. Rachel had been invited in by Blaine, whom she found was also attending NYADA in a few weeks.
"So, where're you three from?" Rachel asked, nursing her mug of tea as Sam moved around furniture. The movers had taken care of that stuff, so that it was easier for them, but according to Sam they weren't in the correct position. So Rachel and Blaine were sitting on the floor against the wall as Sam did the heavy work.
"California. San Francisco, to be exact." Blaine replied, watching as his friend effortlessly pushed everything into place, then gestured for them to move to the couches.
"That has to be nice; living near the coast. My friends/roommates and I are from Ohio. Not very glamorous."
"No, it's not. Ohio sucks. We had to drive through it." Sam commented, sitting down in the chair to Rachel's left.
"Sam, will you go see when Quinn will be home? If she still wants to have that housewarming party, we gotta start cooking things soon." Blaine asked Sam, knowing that if Sam continued in the conversation he might say something to really offend their new friend. Sam huffed, but complied as he stood and walked behind one of the wall-dividers.
"A housewarming party?" Rachel asked, curiously. She hadn't heard of those in a long while. She wasn't aware people still did them, actually.
"It's been Quinn's idea for a while." Blaine clarified. "Her parents would take her to them, and who am I to keep her idea an idea?"
"Point taken." The girl laughed, checking her phone. Kurt would be back from his date soon. "So Blaine, what's your major? Fall classes start and it makes me wonder if I'll be your TA or not." She teased, crossing her legs and sipping from her tea.
Blaine laughed and his eyes crinkled in a smile. "Funny. I'm actually majoring in musical theatre."
"Then be ready. I might fill in for your classes once or twice."
"I'll try my hardest. Oh, before I forget- you and your roommates are more than welcome to come to the housewarming party. When he gets done I'm going to have Sam go around to the neighbors and invite them as well." He stated, and Rachel was about to reply when her phone rang. She smiled politely, then turned to answer it.
"Hello?"
"Rach, hey. Do you want me to pick up some takeout on my way home? It's getting kind of late and I haven't ate yet. The date was a fluke- he took me to a movie and kept trying to literally get in my pants the whole time."
Blaine could hear Kurt through Rachel's earpiece, and he mouthed the word "roommate?". When she nodded, he quietly urged her with a smile to ask him about the party.
"Actually, Kurt, you, Santana and myself have been invited to a housewarming party at our new neighbors house."
Blaine smiled at her.
"New neighbors? Oh right, it's school season, isn't it: Alright, I'll be home soon, then. Oh- formal or casual?"
Blaine held up the number two.
"Casual. See you soon!" Rachel hung up on her friend and turned back to Blaine.
Blaine watched Rachel carefully. Sure, the gestures were simple, but it made him wonder some things. Mostly about how she'd react when she actually got to meet Quinn. Rachel seemed friendly enough, but sometimes even the friendliest of people were also the crudest. Before he got accused of staring, he cleared his throat. "Er, it starts at seven, just so you know."
"Plenty of time to run to the store and get ready. What kind of wine do you drink?"
Blaine smiled politely and shook his head. "We actually don't drink wine. It's uh.. a problematic kinda thing with the Fabray's."
Rachel nodded, wanting to push but choosing against it. "Well then, I'll gladly bring you a big box of tea for you all." She explained with a smile, standing up and smoothing out her skirt. "I'll be sure that Kurt, Santana and I are here exactly at seven, don't you worry."
Blaine stood and walked her to the door. "It was really great to meet you, Rachel. I look forward to meeting your roommates as well."
Rachel gave him another smile, then left to do some quick shopping.
Blaine shut the door with a sigh and turned towards their apartment. It seemed pretty cozy, but he knew that it wouldn't really feel like home until Quinn got her hands on it. She always knew how to properly decorate everything. He looked up at the room divider when Sam walked in, his phone in his hands.
"Is she on her way?" He asked, crossing his arms.
Sam nodded and slipped his phone into his pocket. "Yeah, she was just looking around to see what was nearby. Apparently there's a bookstore not too far from here and she found it, but she said she'd pick up some stuff for dinner on her way back."
Blaine nodded and walked back to the couches, sitting down. Sam had taken to going to hook up the television. "Rachel seems nice." Sam commented, pulling out cords and wires out of a box then sat down on the floor by the TV.
"Yeah, she does."
"You're worried about how she'll react to Quinn."
Blaine looked at him incredulously. "How did you know that?"
Sam set down the cords for a moment and just smiled at his friend. "Blaine, I've been your best friend for years. I know how you get when you're unsure of a person. Especially when that person hasn't met Quinn yet."
Blaine just sighed and ran a hand over his hair. "I don't want her to end up getting hurt our first night here. She's.. sensitive."
Sam shook his head and went back to working on the TV. "She's not as sensitive as you think, Blaine. She's a strong girl; even if Rachel doesn't react well she's not going to give up that easily. She's a fighter. Always has been, always will."
Blaine watched as he worked with the cords and chewed on his lip. He really hoped that Sam was right about this kind of thing. Quinn had been his best friend since grade school, and he really was taking a liking to Rachel. He'd hate to have to disband their budding friendship because she didn't accept Quinn for who she was.
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"You're crazy if you think I'm going to this bullshit shindig you signed us up for."
"Santana, come on. It's just one dinner. It's not like you have to make a life pact with them." Kurt spoke up from the bathroom, the door having been opened as he finished applying his foundation.
"Plus, they're really nice. Blaine is a musical theatre major so he's quite a lot like me, and Sam is just generally quite nice." Rachel explained, finishing up the decoration of her vegan cake that she had made for them. She wanted to do a little more for them than just the box of tea that she had gotten for them.
Santana, however, still wasn't happy about this whole thing. She didn't agree to it, hell, they didn't even talk to her before hand. She had had a long day at work and she just wanted to relax, watch bad movies and stuff her face with the pizza that Rachel couldn't eat.
Rachel walked over to the couch, her heels clicking against the hardwood floor. "Are you really not going to come with us? You'll get to meet the other neighbors that we haven't been able to meet yet."
Santana rolled her eyes. "Yeah, because that's totally how I want to spend my Friday night. You're right, I'll go get myself dolled up for the casual night and spend time with people I don't know. Sounds perfect."
"Alright well, your sarcasm definitely wasn't needed, Santana. But really, it's only one night. Who's to say you won't meet someone to distract you from that one girl you keep moping about?" Kurt asked, walking out of the bathroom. He was actually pretty excited to go to this housewarming party.
Santana just glared at her roommate.
"Alright, fine. You can stay here. But if you want to come, it's only right next door." Rachel finished, walking away from the couch to grab the cake. "Kurt, will you please grab that box of tea for me then get the door?"
Kurt complied, and after giving one last look at Santana, led them out to across the hall.
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Blaine paced the floor, making sure that everything was ready. He wanted this to be perfect, if not for him, then for Quinn. They had at least four guarantees, all from the third and fourth floor of the apartment. It wasn't that many people, so it'd be easy for all of them to handle, roughly about nine people were scheduled to show up. He straightened out his shirt and looked at his watch again, only to be stopped by a pale, gentle hand over his watch. Looking up, he saw his best friend standing in front of him.
'You need to stop worrying so much. Everything is going to be okay.' Quinn signed, a gentle smile on her face. One of her hands had a small amount of sauce on it; Blaine assumed it was from the spaghetti she was helping Sam make.
Blaine smiled at her and nodded, taking a deep breath. "I know. I just want things to go perfectly for you. I know you've always wanted to do this." He signed along and spoke, his hands moving easily with the words. He had picked up sign language not too long after he met the Fabray's and found out that Quinn was deaf.
'And that's what's happening. Whether it's a bust or a bang, it'll be great no matter what.'
Blaine just nodded at her again. He knew she was right; he didn't need to be worrying so much. It wasn't so much as to how the night was going to go that he was worried about, however. It was more as to how their neighbors were going to react to his best friend being deaf. Not many people had happy expressions when they were in high school, which was why she ended up transferring to a school a few miles away that specialized in students that had a hearing disability.
Quinn walked back to help her brother with dinner, finishing up what was left to do. Sam had done most of the work, mostly because Quinn couldn't hear when timers went off or when pots of water started to bubble. Everyone always said that Sam had just tagged along for the ride to New York, but it was really because he had wanted to be her interpreter. He had spent years outside of school just learning sign-language, as much as he possibly could for the sake of his sister. Whenever someone needed to talk to Quinn but didn't know the language, he'd tell her. And she trusted him over any other interpreter she could be assigned.
At exactly seven o'clock there was a knock on the door, which Blaine promptly went to answer. To no surprise, it was Rachel and her roommate (whom Blaine assumed to be Kurt), but there wasn't a third to be seen. He gave the duo a confused glance but let them in nonetheless.
"Santana didn't want to come, but don't be surprised if she shows up a little later. I'm hoping that she'll come to her senses." Rachel began to explain. "This is Kurt, Kurt this is Blaine. Also, I made you a cake to go with the box of tea because I wasn't sure what else to provide as a housewarming present. It's vegan, just so you know, but Kurt's tried my baking before and he says that you can't even tell the difference."
Blaine's eyes widened a little at Rachel's rambling, but shook Kurt's hand with a smile nonetheless. Sam had walked in at some point and went right for a hug from Rachel, one that she happily returned. He stopped and shook hands with Kurt. "I'm Sam, Blaine's friend."
Blaine took the cake from Rachel and the box of tea from Kurt, taking them into the kitchen. He saw Quinn was adjusting the flame on the sauce to let it simmer, and he gently tapped her shoulder to get her attention. "Guests are arriving, want to come say hi?" He asked, his hands moving fluidly.
Quinn nodded with a big smile and headed towards the door. She waved at the duo, and when they waved back at her Sam turned towards his sister. "This is Quinn, my sister." He was also signing along with his words, just so Quinn could follow along. "Quinn, this is Rachel, and Kurt."
Rachel was taken aback by the man's hidden talent. She had seen people using sign language before, but this was the first time she had seen it firsthand. It was amazing, how easily his hands followed his words. Since she had a conversation with Sam and Blaine earlier, she could only assume that the person requiring the language was Quinn.
'It's nice to meet you, Rachel, and you too, Kurt. I'm glad that you both could make it.' Quinn signed, more to Sam than to the duo in front of them. She knew that they probably didn't understand, so she had to have Sam interpret. She felt that this was going to become a habit for the evening.
"She says it's nice to meet you both, and that she's glad that you guys could make it." Sam explained, smiling at the two. "Why don't we all sit down while we wait for more people? I know we've got a few more coming tonight, so might as well start getting comfy."
Quinn was first to go and plop down in the middle of the sofa, Sam following her. Rachel took the position that she was seated in earlier, and Kurt decided to sit in the chair that Sam had occupied earlier. Rachel, however, didn't want to sit in silence during the time that it took for the others to arrive, and began some small talk.
"Quinn, Blaine told me earlier that you were here for college; may I ask what your major is?" Rachel asked, more to Sam so he could interpret. Sam then got his sisters attention, then explained to her what Rachel had said. Quinn answered the question, then turned to Rachel. She didn't need Sam to explain it; a part of Quinn knew that Rachel would try to understand Quinn's signing. Plus, it wasn't that difficult to tell her major. It was simple charades.
The blonde held up the sign for "N", then "Y", then "U", and waited for Rachel to understand. Rachel watched her hands carefully each time, trying to decipher what each letter meant while making them with her own hands. "NYU?" She asked, and Quinn smiled while Sam nodded. Quinn then went on to pantomime taking a picture.
"So you're going to NYU for photography?" Rachel asked, and Quinn clapped a few times. She could read lips quite easily, but when people talked too quickly for her to comprehend she turned to Sam for interpretation.
"Did you just figure that out or do you know sign language?" Kurt asked, already leaning back in the chair and crossing his legs. He was surprised that Rachel caught on to that that quickly; he only understood the camera part. He had spent the next few moments trying to figure out how Rachel got "NYU" from the signs Quinn had made.
"I figured it out." Rachel stated, looking over at her roommate. "It's actually not that difficult when you see how the letters form." She shrugged her shoulders and looked back at the siblings, engaging in further conversation.
Blaine had let in a few other neighbors of theirs, and once everyone was in they all sat down in the living area for a nice little dinner. They learned that Brittany, the spunky blonde who lived down the hall was a freshman at Juilliard for dance, alongside Jake who was doing the same. Jake lived in an apartment on the fourth floor with his brother Noah (who demanded he be called Puck, but Rachel refused) and Puck's girlfriend, Lauren. Puck was a screenwriter, and Lauren was helping with rent. The other two that had joined them for the party was a young goth woman named Tina, who was a sophomore at the American Academy of Dramatic Arts, and a lanky tall man named Mike who was her boyfriend and attended Juilliard as a junior for dance. The two of them lived together on the fourth floor as well, across from Puck, Jake and Tina. Meanwhile, Rachel and Kurt were juniors at NYADA, both with a musical theatre major.
Once everyone had finished eating, Blaine had taken to taking care of the dishes, and Kurt offered to help. Rachel wanted to get to know everyone a little better, and was engaging in a conversation with Tina about how AADA was different from NYADA, while Sam was helping Quinn converse with Jake and Puck.
"So you really think a photography major is going to get you places? I don't see how that's possible unless you're like, taking pictures of hot babes for Playboy." Puck stated, earning a smack on the back of his head from Lauren.
'Like a screenwriting career can get you anywhere without writing pornos for strippers with names like Candy Cane and Sugar tits.' Quinn had signed, and Sam couldn't help but laugh at what she had said.
"What? What did she say?" Puck asked, and Jake gave Sam a confused look.
"I think she just insulted you, bro."
Sam nodded, still laughing at what she had said.
"Dude, tell me! I wanna know how to insult people in sign language."
Quinn just rolled her eyes and stood, going to help Blaine and Kurt in the kitchen. She walked in and she saw that they were talking, but she couldn't tell because their backs were to her. She walked up to Kurt and tapped him on the shoulder, letting out a quiet giggle when she saw that she had startled the taller man. The two of them turned towards her, Blaine ready to interpret.
'I can take it from here, Kurt.' She signed, and Blaine told him what she had said. Kurt nodded, then went to join their new friends in the living area.
Blaine finished up rinsing the plate he was washing and turned towards Quinn. "What do you think of everyone?"
Quinn just shrugged and set a plate in the sink. 'They're nice. Puck's kind of a pig, but they're all pretty okay.' She had made a "P" with her hands and placed it up to her nose, leaving Blaine a little confused. The blonde sighed, then took the time to spell out Puck's name.
"Already have a sign name for him?"
Quinn nodded with a smile. 'Yep. And this,' She paused, making a "K" and placing it to her ear. 'Is Kurt's."
"Why did you put it to your ear?" Blaine asked, finishing up what he could of the dishes and placed them in the strainer.
'He reminds me of an elf.' Quinn explained in a shrug, and Blaine laughed. They finished up the dishes then went to spend a little more time with their new friends.
Blaine may have had an odd feeling about inviting all of these people over to meet his best friends, but he really hoped that they'd be good to the three of them. He had always been quite protective of them all, but as he looked over at Quinn who was silently interacting with Rachel, teaching her simple signs and then at Sam, who was talking to Mike and Puck about superheroes, he knew he had nothing to worry about.