a/n: Hello! Theresa here :) (have you read Drew's recent oneshot, Insomnia Tales? hehe look at how our account is expanding) Anyway, this was just a quickie, partly inspired by the Season 4 premiere, as well as my desire for Faberry fluff!
I haven't forgotten about Blindsided!
Small Pleasures
Summary: Rachel bursts back into Quinn's life one crisp September evening demanding hugs and … Quinn's side of the bed?
9 PM
Quinn tucked her hands into the pockets of her thankfully soft and warm fall coat, kicking at the dried leaves on the ground. She was barely paying attention to the conversation happening between her friends, but focused instead on the way her breath was visible due to the cold air. She allowed a small smile and squished her shoulders inwards until she was snuggled more warmly into her coat.
"What are you smiling about?"
Quinn laughed, startled out of her thoughts. "Nothing. I'm just happy to be here, that's all."
Her new friends smiled. "Here - as in here, at Yale?" one asked.
Quinn shrugged. She supposed that she was happy and blessed to be at an amazing school, but she realized that she was more content to just be in the moment, wherever she was, as long as she was free to do what she wanted without being afraid of judging stares and repercussions.
"Just here," she said quietly, offering a small smile. "This is my place," she said, nodding towards her residence building. "I'll see you tomorrow?" she added, walking backwards.
They nodded and waved goodbye and Quinn was alone. She jogged towards the door as the desire to make herself hot chocolate became stronger than ever. She took the stairs two at a time, offering quick hellos to people she passed, looking forward to curling up with that new book she had picked up at the bookstore and a steaming hot mug of-
She froze because that could not be Rachel Berry having an argument with her neighbor.
"I'm sure Quinn doesn't appreciate you bringing back hooligans each night - which I'm sure you do judging by the comfortable way you seem to be able to slip out of your undergarments with your dress still on!"
"Who the fuck are you?"
Quinn blinked. "What the h- Rachel?"
She would recognize that bright red coat anywhere. She fumbled with her keys and then promptly dropped them when Rachel turned her head and proceeded to stare at her with such sad, watery eyes that Quinn's knees almost buckled and she stepped closer to the wall for support if she needed it. Quinn's neighbor glared at her.
"She's yours?" she asked nastily.
"Rachel?" she repeated, ignoring her floor mate (who did have an affinity for strange-looking boys and girls and Quinn really didn't like her anyway) and feeling a strange numbness that had nothing to do with the cold seep through her. "What are you - that's-" her eyes landed on the blue and white mini-booklet Rachel was clutching in her hands. "Train," she finished dumbly.
"I should have called," Rachel said hoarsely and Quinn's heart trembled uncomfortably. "Where are my manners?" she muttered.
"No, it's fine," Quinn said, managing to snap out of her daze. "I, uh - where are my manners..." she rushed forward and hurried to unlock the door. She pushed it open, then turned back around and leaned down to help Rachel in. She realized belatedly that Rachel probably didn't need any help walking a couple feet into her room, but then Rachel's gloved hands slid into her mitten-encased ones and she was pulling Rachel into her room. "Make yourself comfortable," Quinn said, gesturing awkwardly to the one comfortable chair she had in her room. "How long have you been waiting?"
"Thank you," Rachel said primly. "And not long. I took an evening train. Grand Central is exceptionally busy during the day."
Quinn undid her scarf and hung it neatly on a hook before doing the same with her coat. She turned around to go collect Rachel's things and inhaled sharply when she found Rachel directly in front of her.
"I can hang my stuff up," Rachel said quietly.
"No, I'll do it," Quinn said, taking Rachel's things and trying not to blush when she grabbed Rachel's fingers as well. "You're mine- MY guest. You're my guest and I'll put your stuff away." She hung Rachel's coat up beside hers, adding Rachel's hat on top instead of stuffing it down a sleeve. "Uh," she started, turning back around. "Not that I'm not happy to see you," she said, crossing the room towards Rachel and pulling her into a hug. "Because I am," she said, shutting her eyes at the sensation of having Rachel pressed against her after what felt like forever. "But what are you doing here?"
"I should have called," Rachel mumbled again, into Quinn's shoulder, not wanting to end their embrace. Rachel sighed, clutching at Quinn's back. "I missed you," she admitted. "I suppose that's reason enough to allow me an impromptu visit, isn't it?"
Quinn smiled, attempting to pull back. She frowned when Rachel grabbed on to her tighter. "Rachel-"
"-No," Rachel said petulantly.
"What do you mean no?" Quinn asked, willingly sinking back into the hug nonetheless.
"I missed you and I missed your hugs and I need more of them."
"Well maybe if you let me go, we could hug again, and that would allow me to have given you two hugs instead of one," Quinn said jokingly, trying to sound reasonable.
"Or we could just stand here forever," Rachel said, pressing her face against Quinn's neck.
Quinn shut her eyes, squeezing Rachel once before finding her voice. "Forever is a long time," she murmured.
Rachel was quiet for a moment before she shuffled her feet and removed herself from Quinn's arms. "It is," she agreed, but said no more.
"Are you going to tell me why you're here? You know, other than to verbally assault my neighbors, or better known as the people I have to live beside for the next eight months."
"She was promiscuous and it made me uncomfortable," Rachel sniffed.
"How did you know she was promiscuous?" Quinn asked, amused. "You just met her."
"Slutty was the word I was looking for. I was being generous."
Quinn laughed and then couldn't stop because she was just so completely overwhelmed by the fact that Rachel Berry was actually in New Haven - in her room.
Rachel looked as if she was going to smile again, but then she pouted and held her arms out. Quinn stopped laughing and arched an eyebrow. "What are you doing?"
"Hug me again, Quinn Fabray."
"I remember when you used to actually ask for hugs."
"Are you going to hug me?"
"That's not exactly asking," Quinn said, smiling at the way Rachel looked genuinely upset. "And not after you tell me what on earth caused you to end up in my dorm room."
"You told me you wanted to keep in touch with me," Rachel said instantly. "I just thought I'd drop by and-"
"-Rachel," Quinn said pointedly. "We haven't..." Quinn tried not to sound too hurt as she thought about how much she really missed the other girl. "We haven't really talked in a while save for the occasional unhelpful email, so why don't you-" Quinn sat Rachel down on her bed. "-Sit down, and we'll talk, alright? Because I really miss just talking to you."
Rachel looked at Quinn blankly before she suddenly looked about ten times more miserable and slumped, sobs wracking her shoulders.
Quinn panicked. "Oh my God, Rachel! I'm so sorry-" Quinn knelt down in front of her, putting her hands on her own knees, unsure if Rachel wanted physical contact. "Rachel, I'm sorry - I just...It would help if I knew what was wrong."
"I'm a f-failure, Quinn!"
Quinn rocked back, resting on her heels and stared at Rachel incredulously. "I'm sorry?"
"Quinn, I can't do anything right," she wailed. "My dance instructor is out to get me - no, wait, I'm pretty sure she hates me and I will never be on Broadway!"
"Nobody hates you," Quinn said instantly. "That's impossible."
Rachel's lip trembled. She lifted her eyes and stared at Quinn who looked so completely open and honest and sure of her words, that Rachel really wanted to believe them. "I can't-"
"-You have to believe me," Quinn whispered, sounding almost desperate. "You'll be amazing at whatever you do. So what if it takes some time?"
"I want this so badly," Rachel whispered back. Quinn nodded, and moved to sit next to her.
"I know you do - and that's why I know you'll work your way out of whatever-" Quinn paused, looking for her words. "Slump you've found yourself in, right now. I believe in Rachel Berry," Quinn said, nudging Rachel's shoulder. "And so should you."
Rachel sniffled and attempted to laugh at the same time. "I knew you'd know what to say."
"I always do," Quinn said smugly.
10 PM
"What if Finn never comes back?!" Rachel wailed, face down on Quinn's bed.
Quinn stared longingly at her book which was lying on her desk, next to a container of cocoa powder.
"Are you sure you don't want hot chocolate?" Quinn asked. Rachel mumbled something that sounded suspiciously like Finn, and Quinn almost lost it. She marched over to where Rachel was lying and poked her shoulder. "Listen to me, Rachel. You want some advice, right now? Honestly, mooning over Finn Hudson isn't going to make you work harder, is it? You need to focus."
Rachel rolled over and stared at Quinn with watery eyes. Quinn quivered, just as Rachel's lip trembled."But-"
"No buts!" Quinn barked, steeling herself. "I'm making you hot chocolate!"
There was a silence before Rachel sniffled and attempted to sit up. "Soy milk, please. I'm v-"
"-Vegan," Quinn finished. "I'll always remember."
Rachel's smile was tiny, but it was still a smile.
11 PM
"Why do you have soy milk?" Rachel asked, as Quinn was putting their cups away after having left the room to go wash them. "You love milk."
"You like soy milk," Quinn shrugged.
"But I don't live here."
Quinn blushed and busied herself with rearranging something in her mini-fridge. "I have...vegan friends," she said lamely, refusing to look at Rachel. Rachel felt her own cheeks heat up pleasantly at the realization that Quinn wanted her to visit.
"Thanks for everything," Rachel said softly.
Quinn looked up, and offered Rachel a pretty smile. "I didn't have plans and you know I'd help you anyway. Well. Now you know." She shut the fridge door and crossed her room to where Rachel was sitting cross-legged on her bed. "Are you feeling better?"
Rachel's heart thumped happily and she smiled at Quinn. "Absolutely - thanks to you." She then cleared her throat. "I probably should get going however."
"You're leaving?" Quinn asked quickly. "But it's really late."
"I must admit, I did think about asking whether I could stay the night-"
"-Yes!" Quinn exclaimed, startling Rachel. "I mean - yes, I would prefer if you did, because it's late and the train ride is about two hours. Do they even have trains to New York City this late?"
"I'm not-"
"-Stay," Quinn said simply.
"I didn't pack anything," Rachel admitted sheepishly.
"I have clothes."
"I'm sorry this has been such a hectic evening," Rachel apologized again.
"I seriously don't mind," Quinn said, walking towards her dresser and pulling out a Yale t-shirt and matching capri sweatpants. "Uh, this is fine, right?"
Rachel didn't bother squashing down the strange rumble of excitement she felt at the fact she was going to wear Quinn's clothes. "It looks comfortable."
Quinn smiled warmly. "They are. I've definitely broken them in for you." She nudged Rachel playfully. "I'll go change in the bathroom down the hall. You can stay in here."
Rachel stripped her clothes down, folding them neatly and placing them on Quinn's chair. She hesitated in taking her bra off, but shrugged and unclasped the back. She pulled on her - Quinn's - shirt and pulled on the sweats, feeling extremely warm and comfortable (although her arms felt a bit cold).
She felt a pleasant shiver shoot through her at the thought that she was wearing Quinn Fabray's clothes.
"Decent?" Quinn's voice called through the door.
"Yes!"
Quinn opened the door and smiled upon seeing Rachel adorned in her Yale clothes. "You look adorable," Quinn said, once again using that frightening honesty. Rachel noticed the way Quinn's eyes slid over to the bra hanging in Rachel's hand and the way she was rubbing one of her arms. "Cold?" she asked, looking concerned. "I'm so sorry - it's the stupid heating. It hasn't fully kicked in because it's still September and it doesn't get cranked up until October or something."
"Just a little," Rachel admitted. She tossed her bra over to where her other clothes were.
Quinn cleared her throat and tried not to stare. She inclined her head slightly. "I, um-" she reached into her dresser and pulled out a dark sweater. "Here."
"I guess I'm cold enough," Rachel said, almost too eager as she took the sweater. She pulled it on over her head, snuggling into its warmth.
"That's my favorite sweater," Quinn said, smiling warmly at Rachel. "It looks um - it looks good on you." Quinn felt slightly light-headed at the sight of Rachel fitting perfectly into her clothes as if she belonged there and God, Quinn just wanted to-
"I'll bring some NYADA stuff next time and we can trade," Rachel said, then giggled a little, trying to play it off as a joke (but she really wanted to keep Quinn's things because they were ridiculously comfortable and warm).
Quinn was silent for a moment and Rachel thought she had overstepped some boundaries. Then Quinn's cheeks turned an appealing pink and she ducked her head shyly. "I'd, um, like that, actually."
"Would you really?"
"I would." Quinn wrung her hands in an almost nervous fashion and gestured towards the bed. "Well, you can take the bed. My friend down the hall has a sleeping bag I could borrow-"
"-No way," Rachel said stubbornly. "I'm not hijacking your bed. This is sufficient enough to accommodate both of us!"
"It's a twin," Quinn said flatly. "No way are we both going to fit on it."
"It's fine! Just pick a side and I'll take the other. We'd have to squeeze, I suppose, but we'll fit!"
Quinn looked at the bed, then back at Rachel, unsure. She wanted to so badly, but wanted to make sure Rachel felt comfortable. "Uh, are you absolutely sure?"
"Yes, I am!"
"Well...I sleep on the right side," Quinn said. "But since it's a twin, I'm not sure if there is a right or left side."
"We can squash- wait, what? I sleep on the right side. That's my side."
Quinn laughed. "No way, nu-uh. That's my side. You can't retract your offer!"
"I'm your guest!"
"This is my room? And besides, you did sort of show up unannounced," Quinn muttered.
Rachel ignored Quinn's second sentence. "Well technically, it's the university's room...So I'll take the right, and you take the left?"
"You know what? This is twin-sized bed, Rachel. There are no sides."
"Are you calling me fat?!" Quinn gaped at the ridiculous question. Rachel blushed and stuffed her hands into the pocket of the sweater. "I know you weren't," she said sheepishly.
12 AM
"I hate you," Quinn mumbled, facing the wall and pouting at it.
"No you don't," Rachel said happily, snuggling into Quinn's pillow. She felt Quinn shift slightly behind her.
"I hope you're enjoying my room, my side of the bed, and my clothes."
"I am," Rachel said, somewhat surprised at how honest she was being.
"Good," Quinn said moodily.
"Good."
There was a silence and then Quinn shifted. Rachel felt Quinn's breath on the back of her neck and she couldn't stop the involuntary shiver that ran up her spine.
Quinn resisted the urge to tuck Rachel's hair away from her ear and settled for a quiet "Goodnight, Rachel" before turning back towards the wall and trying not to blush. She tugged at the blanket, pulling it further over herself.
"What are you doing?" Rachel whispered.
"I'm cold. The heating sucks, remember?"
"But I require some coverage too."
Quinn snorted. "You're decked out in sweats and a sweater. You're fine." Rachel pouted and rolled over to face Quinn's back. "Stop pouting," Quinn muttered tiredly.
Rachel sighed, but moved a tiny bit closer - as close as she dared. "Goodnight," she said quietly.
2 AM
Rachel slowly blinked open her eyes and found herself mere centimeters from Quinn's back. "Quinn?" Rachel murmured hesitantly. "Are you still awake?"
Quinn shifted and grunted in a decidedly unladylike fashion and rolled over. She was too exhausted to be startled that her face was suddenly centimeters from Rachel's. "I am now," she mumbled. "What's wrong?"
"I don't want change, Quinn. I don't want to change."
"Wha-?"
"I don't know if I like this new life, Quinn. I don't know if I can handle all of this at once."
"Where is this coming from?" Quinn asked sleepily. She tried to smile reassuringly and reached out to tuck a strand of hair away from Rachel's face. "Rachel," she mumbled, trying to force her sleep-addled brain to work. "Rach, you're beautiful and amazing. Anything you do will be fantas..fantas..." Quinn yawned. "It'll be good."
"You think I'm beautiful?"
Quinn's nose scrunched up adorably and Rachel giggled. "Of course I do," Quinn said as if it were the most obvious thing in the world.
"You're a good friend, Quinn."
Quinn's face twisted again and she peeked at Rachel through half-closed eyes. "Friend," she repeated, processing the word. She frowned slightly. "I'm a good friend," she said tiredly.
"Thank you for everything," Rachel said softly, wishing she could see Quinn's eyes properly. She found the blonde's adorably mussed hair and sleepy demeanor completely endearing. She wanted nothing more than to snuggle into Quinn's arms and-
"G'night Rach," Quinn murmured, eyes closing once more.
Rachel swallowed, nodding even though Quinn couldn't see. "Goodnight."
6 AM
Quinn wiggled her toes, smiling contentedly into her pillow. She couldn't recall a night as of yet where she gotten such a restful, peaceful sleep.
Her pillow shifted slightly and she frowned, attempting to snuggle further into it. She inhaled enjoying the smell of strawberries and-
Strawberries?
Quinn cracked an eye open and couldn't figure out what was off until she clenched her hands and realised she was holding on to Rachel's waist with one and the other was tucked loosely into soft hair, which meant-
"Rachel?" she croaked, shifting her head so she could look down (her cheek was pressed against Rachel's forehead and she could feel Rachel's breath coming in warm bursts across her neck. She shivered.
Instinctively, she further nuzzled herself into the embrace to stop the shiver and she sighed languidly when Rachel's hand gripped at her t-shirt. She wondered if she should have felt uncomfortable, but the only discomfort she was feeling was the fact that her foot felt like it was falling asleep. She attempted to stretch out her feet, but found one of them trapped between Rachel's own feet and the other was being pressed against the bed by Rachel's leg.
Quinn glanced at the clock and chewed the inside of her cheek uncertainly. She didn't have an early class and she really didn't know how long Rachel planned on staying.
Rachel sighed into her neck and the hand resting on her hip came to life and gripped the fabric of Quinn's sleep pants, tugging at them.
Quinn supposed they could use another hour of sleep, so she relaxed and put her head as close to Rachel's as she could. Her gaze lingered for a moment before she shut her eyes and drifted back off to sleep, occupied with thoughts of brown hair and bright eyes.
The blanket lay forgotten, squashed at the foot of the bed.
7 AM
This is nice, Rachel thought, once she realised that her head was nestled between Quinn's shoulder and neck. She shifted slightly, testing the extent of their cuddling and found that she had an arm tucked under Quinn's side and that she was holding one of Quinn's feet hostage between her own.
She bit her lip, wishing she could look up and see whether Quinn was awake-
"You're thinking too loudly," Quinn muttered, her voice raspy. Rachel pulled back to look at Quinn's face, smiling slightly when she saw that the other girl looked disorientated.
Then it dawned that they were cuddling.
"This is-"
"-I'm sorry," Quinn blurted. "I don't know what h-happened-"
"-It's OK," Rachel interjected. "I mean, this is fine between friends, right?" she asked tentatively.
"Uh, yeah - we're friends," Quinn pulled her arm off Rachel's waist. "This is - this was nice, right?"
"I-" Rachel coughed, then cleared her throat nervously. "I liked it," she admitted. She made no move to remove her hands from Quinn's body. "Are you uncomfortable?" she asked, frowning when she noticed Quinn's expression.
"I'm just - I'm not sure how this...happened." At Rachel's look, she quickly shook her head. "No, I'm not uncomfortable, Rachel."
They fell silent, settling for staring at each other in the warm morning light. Quinn's throat dried immediately and she resisted the urge to put her arm back around Rachel's waist. She wanted desperately to say something - anything that would make her heart stop threatening to burst straight out of her chest.
Rachel never realized how bright Quinn's eyes were. She also never noticed how Quinn's mouth was perfectly-shaped. That was normal, right? A normal thing to notice? They were friends.
"You told me I was beautiful," Rachel blurted, eyes trained on Quinn's mouth. She reluctantly dragged her eyes back up to Quinn's.
Quinn was quiet, her eyes roaming Rachel's face, before she reached up to comb her fingers through Rachel's hair. She shut her eyes immediately at the sensation of Quinn's fingers, any lingering discomfort forgotten. She forced her eyes open and Quinn was looking at her with something akin to awe.
"I did," Quinn said, so quietly that Rachel instinctively shifted closer to listen better. Quinn's cheeks tinged pink at the new proximity and she stilled her hand.
"This is..." Rachel trailed off. It was something - something that she was interested in understanding. "What is this?" she asked quietly.
Quinn pulled her lower lip between her teeth for a moment before answering. "This is nice."
"We can stay here for a moment, can't we, Quinn?"
"Forever, if you'd like," Quinn said, sounding sleepy again.
9 AM
They had cuddled and talked for almost two hours. Rachel felt exhausted all over again, but she was feeling much better than she had roughly twelve hours ago.
She donned her red coat on top of Quinn's sweater, which she just had to wear because it was rather cold outside. Quinn silently disagreed, but she wasn't going to stop Rachel from keeping it. Her shirt had also mysteriously disappeared. She did manage to get her sweat pants back, though.
"I'll bring it back to you one day," Rachel said, nodding determinedly.
Quinn looked nervous as she spoke. "I wouldn't be opposed to having one of yours, you know."
Rachel beamed. "I'll keep that in mind. I'm so sorry, Quinn," she said suddenly. "I realize that you probably did have plans and I ruined all of them by turning up unannounced."
"I was going to read my book," Quinn admitted. "But I don't care about that. I care about you-" (Rachel's heart thumped) "-and whether or not you're alright. You're feeling better, right?" Quinn asked seriously. "I want you to believe in yourself, Rachel. Believe in yourself like you did in high school. I lo- I admired that about you."
Rachel's lower lip trembled, but she forced it into a smile. "Thanks to you. I'll admit, I'm disappointed, Quinn. You didn't allow to have a full-blown diva tantrum. How will I ever become a fully-fledged diva?"
Quinn rolled her eyes. "You already are."
Rachel gasped, then giggled when she saw that Quinn was giggling as well. They lapsed into silence before Quinn turned shy again. Before Rachel could blink, she was being pulled into a tight hug. She reacted instantly, pressing her face into Quinn's shoulder before leaning up at resting her chin atop it.
"Hug number three," Quinn murmured, squeezing once.
"That's not nearly enough. I've missed you too much," Rachel said once she found her voice.
Quinn pulled back and smiled, looking straight into Rachel's eyes. "I promise as many hugs as you'd like." She then tucked her arm through Rachel's and steered her towards the door. "I don't want you to be late for the train," she clarified. Rachel sighed wistfully, realizing how much she'd actually miss Quinn.
"Promise?" she asked, at Quinn's door.
"And you'll never even have to ask," Quinn said honestly.
Rachel smiled, and turned to leave down the hallway. She raised a hand in goodbye, waving almost frantically.
Quinn laughed, watching her go. "You never did," she murmured to the empty hall.