Name: Fire Is Better Than Fireworks (1/3)
Author: blondezilla90
Characters/Pairing: Finn/Rachel, apperances by random Glee Clubbers.
Rating: PG (In this chapter.)
Disclaimer: Characters do not belong to me, if they would the show would be on HBO and Cory and Lea would be naked the entire hour.
Summary: A couple of special nights for Finn and Rachel, showing the world that they do belong together.
A/N 1: So the idea of writing a smut one shot turned into this. I hope you enjoy it!
A/N 2: Thank you so much Katie (falafel90) for betaing. I love you so much and thanks for helping me write this sucker!
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Part 1: Junior Prom
It was Prom night at McKinley High and so far Finn Hudson was bored out of his mind. He sat in one of the chairs at a table and randomly played with the hem of his jacket, feeling useless and alone. Quinn was off talking to others, leaving him by himself since he had been kind of moody all day long. He was getting so annoyed with her. The past few weeks had been hell. It was all about prom. Prom king, prom queen, what to wear, the first dance. Finn knew she was partly using him just for her popularity, but he couldn't care less on the other hand. He was on top of it all again. He was the starting quarterback, he was dating the head cheerleader and he was actually getting some kind of action. Finn was aware he was falling into old habits with Quinn. He didn't know whether he should call her out on it or not.
What made the situation worse was Rachel, who, right before Regionals, was actually willing to rebuild their relationship, but suddenly pulled away from him completely. She avoided him to the max, and she avoided Quinn, as well. Finn knew it had something to do with Quinn—she must have said something to her—but so far he couldn't figure out what it was. All he knew was that he missed having Rachel around. He missed her friendship…he missed her quirks and her smile. Her laugh and her soft kisses and her...
"Finn?" Mike said, nudging him, causing Finn to look up at him. "Did you see who Rachel brought as a prom date?"
His head snapped towards the door and his jaw almost hit the floor. If his life had been a comic, his eyes would have grown as big as plates and steam would have been coming out of his ears by now. He couldn't believe his eyes. This couldn't be true. Rachel was at prom. She was at prom. With Jesse St. James by her side.
Jesse St. James.
Jesse St. fucking James.
"Are you freaking kidding me?" he mumbled under his breath, feeling his stomach drop as the blonde bimbo wrapped his arm around her waist and leaned down to kiss her. Finn felt his blood boil and, rising from his seat, rushed towards the two of them. Wordlessly he grabbed Rachel's arm and dragged her away from Jesse, ignoring him as he cornered her.
"What the hell do you think you are doing?" Finn said under his breath, looking down at her. Rachel was at first too stunned to reply and was still shocked by his behavior.
"What do YOU think YOU are doing?" she suddenly replied. "Who gave you the right to storm towards me like a caveman?"
"Why are you here with him? Why of all people are you here with Jesse St. Jerkface? Don't you remember what he did to you?" His voice was low and his eyes full of anger. How could she forgive him?
"First off, although it's none of your business, he apologized. Second: he's my date, because I get to choose who is my date. Now leave me alone." She put her hand on his chest and tried to shove him away, but Finn kept standing in front of her, blocking her way.
"He lied to you. He betrayed you. He egged you…how can you forgive him for that?" he hissed, placing both of his hands on her shoulders. Rachel gasped and her lips parted slightly in shock.
"Really? Of all people, you're the one who says this? Have you forgotten what Quinn did to you? Huh? She cheated on you, got pregnant, and lied to you for months. She never would have told you the truth if it wasn't for me." Rachel grew mad at him. . "How dare you say this to me? How pathetic are you if you can forgive her, but not me? If you can forgive Quinn, well, I can certainly forgive Jesse."
With that she shoved him as hard as she could, walking past him and over to Jesse, who watched the entire scene dumbfounded. Finn felt the room spinning. His anger grew, both towards Jesse and himself. Rachel was right. She was right, but she didn't understand. He spun around and spotted Rachel, walking over to her. This time, Jesse saw him coming and blocked his way.
"Stop right there," he said and Finn felt a surge of hatred.
"What if I don't? I wanna talk to Rachel," he spit out, trying to walk past Jesse. Jesse grabbed his shoulders and held him back. That did it for Finn and he pushed Jesse as hard as he could, causing him to slam against one of the tables. Most students around them turned to watch the spectacle, and before they knew it, Jesse threw the first punch at Finn.
"Don't you get IT…" Jesse yelled, aiming for his face. Finn was quicker and leaned back, and, in the next moment, he leaned over to tackle him, causing them both to fall to the ground.
"Don't YOU get IT…" Finn spat back and threw a punch into his right side, straddling him to keep him down.
"How dare you creep your way back into Rachel's life after you hurt her so bad." He threw another punch and another, not giving Jesse enough time to react. He kept hitting him until he felt two pairs of arms grabbing his, pulling him off.
"LET ME GO…" he screamed, trying to free himself. In that very same moment, Quinn Fabray appeared in front of him, slapping his face as hard as she could. Time seemed to stop as Finn grew limp and looked at her in shock, his face stinging.
"What in the world is going on here?" she asked, staring at him, her hands on her hips. He didn't reply, his gaze wandering over her shoulder only to see Rachel hovering above Jesse. His heart broke in two. How could he have been so stupid?
"Leave me alone…" he yelled at Quinn and finally freed himself, turning around, ready to storm out of the gymnasium.
"FINN HUDSON, YOU STOP RIGHT THIS SECOND OR…" Quinn said, causing Finn to turn towards her.
"Or what? You break up with me? You know what? Fine by me. No wait, I break up with you…fuck prom, fuck this. I don't need you. I don't even like you anymore. I don't want you either," he said and walked away. His pace quickened and he literally jogged outside to take a deep breath. He sat down on the steps and stared at the ground, tugging at his bowtie. He was sick of it all. He wanted Rachel back, and now she was gone.
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Rachel sat inside, watching Coach Bieste escort Jesse out of the gym. He threw the first punch after all, so he had to go. She couldn't care less. She only took him because he was the only one who would take her and she didn't want to go alone. What shocked her more was what had just happened between Finn and Quinn. He actually broke up with her—and at prom, knowing it was the most important day to her. She sighed, taking a large sip of her punch. For the rest of the night, Rachel watched everything happening around her, occasionally dancing with Kurt, her thoughts completely occupied by Finn. She needed to talk to him soon. As soon as possible.
Before Prom was even over, Rachel slipped out of the gymnasium and walked down the hallway of McKinley High. She wanted to go outside and call her dads to pick her up, but as soon as she was outside, her breath caught in her throat. Finn was sitting at the bottom of the stairs, staring into the distance. He looked like a little boy who lost his mom. Her heart beat faster and she slowly made her way down the steps, wordlessly sitting down next to him. For a long time neither of them spoke. Rachel played with her dress while he stared at the cars passing in front of them. They didn't know what to say. More and more seconds went by and it was becoming slightly unbearable to Rachel. Soon enough, she cleared her throat and whispered quietly.
"Have you been sitting here the past two hours?"
"Yes…" he whispered and finally moved a little, pulling his knees further up and placing his chin on them. Rachel nodded her head. Again, neither spoke, both staring into the distance.
"When did things become so difficult?" he mumbled. Rachel's head moved towards him.
"What do you mean?"
"We were happy together. What happened to us?" Two simple questions that really had no answer. Rachel bit her lower lip and shrugged her shoulders, not quite knowing what to say. But before she could stop it, it fell from her lips.
"You broke up with me."
The words hung thickly in the air and Finn felt his heart thump in his chest. She was right. He broke up with her.
"And you never told me why exactly."
Her voice was low and sounded hurt. He sighed and slowly turned his head towards her.
"You kissed Puck," he stated simply, turning his head away from her again. Rachel bit her lip and nodded her head.
"I understand that…I did…and I've apologized plenty. But...but why did you forgive Quinn, who has done so much worse?" Finn felt like someone punched his stomach. His heart clenched and he let out a long sigh. He knew Rachel deserved the truth.
"I never forgave Quinn. What you did hurt so much more…because…I thought you really loved me. I knew Quinn never did, but I really thought you did. Apparently not enough to keep from hurting me."
Rachel felt her gut twist into knots and she instinctively wrapped her arms around her body. Tears stung her eyes as she thought about his words. She didn't know what she should feel. It made her incredibly sad that she hurt him, but it hurt her in return that he doubted her feelings. She loved him so much. So, so much.
"How can you doubt my love for you?" she asked as a tear rolled down her cheek. Finn could literally hear the tears in her voice, but he couldn't look at her. He knew he'd give into her. He'd screw it up all over again and kiss her senseless, trying to make it all better, trying to forget it all.
"If you loved me, you wouldn't have hurt me the way you did. I know I was a jerk by sleeping with Santana and lying to you, but when I did it with her I wasn't in a relationship with you. It bugged me you kept insisting on the fact it was her." His voice cracked a little and he buried his face in his hands. Rachel felt more tears roll down her cheeks and sighed.
"I know what I did was wrong. I wanted to hurt you. I'm sorry. I was so hurt. You had sex with her. You gave her your virginity. To the hottest girl in school. I already felt insecure about myself and hearing it from her that she did it with you was just too much. You didn't even listen to me when I tried to explain myself." She wiped her face as she spoke, growing silent. Finn nodded his head and very slowly turned his head in her direction, his heart breaking. Her mascara was running down her cheeks and she looked like a mess.
"I had sex with Santana. That's a fact. It was horrible. It was disgusting. I hated it. I hate her. Yet I still did it. The thing is, I tried to forget it, because I wanted you to be my first. Well, technically you'd have been my first because I had this crazy idea of making love to you." The two of them grew silent again, letting the words that had just been spoken sink in. Rachel somehow found the strength to stop crying, wiping her face with her arm. Finn watched her and bit his lip, not quite knowing what to say anymore. Luckily Rachel had always been the talker.
"I want you to be my first too Finn. I love you so much. Still. After everything, but we just won't work anymore. Our past shows that. You don't belong with me. You never did." The words ran through Finn's body like an electric shock and he sat up straighter. He couldn't believe that.
"Don't say that."
"It's true...everyone says that. We are not meant to be together." Her voice sounded broken and not convincing at all. A new set of tears filled her eyes and she tried to fight them. She didn't want to break down. Not now.
"Who is everyone? Who said that?" he replied, clenching his fists.
"Why do you still care?"
"Because I still care about you, Rachel. I will always care for you." She let the words sink in and she nodded her head. Since he broke up with Quinn she figured she could tell him about what happened with Quinn and why she ended up writing Get It Right as her original song.
"Quinn…" she mumbled and Finn's eyebrows knitted together in confusion. He was about to say something, but Rachel stopped him. "She's the one who said that. I wanted to write the song with her for Regionals and ended up writing it alone. She told me we wouldn't work, that I would never be able to get it right. That I kept making the same mistake over and over again. She basically said we were through and that she was going to get you and I would end up on Broadway alone. She had this entire fantasy planned out of you taking over Burt's shop and just living in Lima."
Finn felt his heart stop, anger rising in his body, but Rachel wasn't finished. "That was the moment where I tried to convince myself that it wasn't true, but she was right. We failed so many times. Why should it work again? She had a pretty solid idea, a good future for you. I just wish she'd see the full potential in you. You're not a Lima Loser."
He let her words sink in, his eyes flitting to the ground, staring at it as he processed what she said. Now it was clear to him why she would pull away from him and why she would go back to that douche St. James. He was like her. He was the male version of her. The only difference was that he was a big ass jerk and she wasn't. Rachel deserved better than Jesse. Hell, she even deserved better than him. He let out a long breath and sighed, taking a stick off the ground to draw random patterns on the step.
"I don't wanna be a Lima Loser…I…I just…" He closes his eyes and tried to calm his nerves. "I just know that I am still in love with you. I never really loved Quinn…that's why it didn't hurt me as much when she cheated on me. We were never good together. I don't even know why I went back to her."
"You felt fireworks," she said simply. He swallowed hard and nodded his head. "Something you've clearly never felt with me."
"That's true Rachel...but when it came to you? I really didn't feel fireworks. I always felt this small flame in my gut, which slowly started to spread through my body, turning into a wildfire. Fireworks are nice, and for the few minutes they last, they're exciting. But fire is so much more intense, so much more enjoyable. I just can't get enough of you." Finn's confession literally took Rachel's breath away. She looked at him in disbelief.
"Why didn't you tell me that when I asked you?"
"You never gave me the chance. You just made an assumption because I didn't reply right away. You know me though…I am not good with words. I never was. I never will be." He shifted a little to scoot closer to her. Rachel felt a tiny shiver run down her spine and she tried hard not to let it show just how much of an effect he had on her.
"You're good with words when you sing them," she said and he nodded his head. "That's why I love singing with you. Through the lyrics I was always able to express my feelings properly for you. There is a reason Mr Schuester let us sing Faithfully at Regionals. It was my idea. I wanted to sing that song with you. I knew I wanted to let you know what I feel for you."
Tears gathered in her eyes as she thought back to the first time he told her he loved her. It was out of the blue, nothing that seemed planned, but it was the most amazing moment in her entire life. She knew while singing the song that Finn was the guy who she wanted to be with. She wanted him in her life and no one else. She loved him with her whole heart and despite the rocky road she never stopped. She couldn't.
"Hey…please don't cry…" he mumbled as more tears started to fall down her face. Carefully he raised an arm and put it around her shoulders, pulling her to his side. Unable to fight him, she buried her face in his shoulder, a loud sob escaping her throat. For a long time they sat on the steps and he held her in his arms while she cried. It broke his heart. He felt his own tears fill his eyes, but he blinked them away.
"I just want to go back and be with you again Finn. I miss you," she whispered with a small voice and, slowly moving her arm around his torso, pulled him closer. He didn't reply immediately, but just held her until she calmed down a little. Then, he pulled away from her and moved his hands to her cheeks, cupping them both. He gently wiped away her tears and smudged mascara, smiling a little.
"I want that too."
Those four words made Rachel feel like jumping around. She gasped as her heart beat faster. Very slowly, she inched her face closer to his, their lips meeting in the softest and gentlest kiss. As if on cue, Finn felt the small burning in his gut and he slid his hands down to wrap his arms around her body, pulling her as close as he could. His lips pulled away only a second to part them. Rachel responded immediately and opened her mouth to let her tongue brush against his lower lip, seeking contact with his. The kiss quickly erupted in a full-blown make out, his lips desperately pressing against hers as their tongues brushed against each other. Hands roamed and a small moan escaped Rachel's lips, a groan of disapproval leaving her body shortly after as he pulled away to breathe. They both panted and Rachel looked at him in amazement, her entire body tingling. She felt hot and she finally understood what he meant. A fire was so much better than a firework.
End of part one. R&R? Theheeee