A/N: Aye, the prompts I get on tumblr are always fun.
Rating: PG-13
Warning: Periods. Obviously.
Word Count: 1500+
Characters: Quinn Fabray, Rachel Berry
Summary: Rachel gets her first period in the middle of PE, and Quinn has to help before someone else notices.
Rachel stands in PE class, her brown locks clasped in a tight braid that falls between her shoulder blades. The white gym shorts and deep red t-shirt fit her perfectly, as do her sparkly pink trainers. She's at the front of the class, as always, and her teacher gives her a bright smile as he walks past her.
Quinn stands directly behind her, her blonde hair in pigtails. Her clothes are slightly baggy from her recent weight loss but they make her look even skinnier so she doesn't mind. Thirteen-year-old "Quinn" Fabray has been in Lima for exactly five and a half months, and while the bullies are just as bad as the ones she left at Fairbrook, McKinley Middle School is treating her well.
The teacher starts the warm-up and the girls follow obediently, stretching their muscles as the teacher does. When he reaches down and touches his toes, Rachel Berry is the first to copy, the years of dancing and gymnastics making her more flexible than most.
Quinn goes to bend down, too, but she pauses when she notices a deep red stain seeping through Rachel's white shorts. Oh no. She isn't close to the Berry girl, but their classmates won't let it go if they find out this is happening. But they're only part-way through the warm-up and the teacher won't be separating them into groups any time soon, so Quinn doesn't know what to do.
Biting her lip, she makes a snap decision and pretends to stumble into the girl next to her. She thinks her name is Tina. Her diversion goes as planned as the girl falls and lets out a wail of surprise and pain, distracting her classmates and the teacher long enough for her to step closer to Rachel.
As the teacher tends to Tina's injured ankle, Quinn grabs Rachel's hips to stop her from moving.
"Bathroom," she whispers, and Rachel gives her a confused look but lets Quinn lead her anyway.
Once they snuck away from the class and Quinn grabbed her bag from the cloakroom, they make their way to the girls' bathroom and she shuts the door firmly.
"What the hell is this about, Quinn?"
"You've got your period, dumbass," she hisses. "The others would've eaten you alive if they saw that."
Rachel's eyes widen and she lets out a squeak as her face turns red, her hands instantly grabbing her backside. "Wh- What?"
Quinn pauses, shooting Rachel a curious look, before it clicks. "… You've never had your period before, have you?"
Rachel shakes her head furiously, blushing harder, and Quinn lets out a sigh as the girl rambles nervously. Setting her baby pink bag on the counter, Quinn digs through it until she finds her pads and throws one at Rachel.
"I assume your mum's shown you how to put one in your underwear?"
Rachel fumbles to catch the pad and shakes her head again, trembling. "I- I have two gay dads. They're not- they don't- they haven't exactly, um, prepared me for this."
Quinn pinches the bridge of her nose and takes a deep breath as she leans against the counter.
"Alright," she says after a short pause. "Go into that stool and get yourself cleaned up, I'll- um … I'll help you with the pad."
Rachel nods shakily and locks herself in one of the stalls while Quinn busies herself by fixing her hair and make-up in the mirror. Quinn hears the lock on Rachel's stall click open and she looks over.
"I- I'm ready," Rachel murmurs, her voice weak.
Taking a deep breath, Quinn pushes the door open to see Rachel sitting on the toilet, her eyes wide and afraid. Her shorts and knickers are on the floor beside her, both stained with blood, and she doesn't have to ask to realise that Rachel doesn't have spare clothes with her.
Quinn silently goes back and grabs her own extras from her bag, then kneels down beside Rachel and slides the underwear onto her ankles. It's awkward from the angle she's at, but within a couple of minutes, the pad is in place and she's putting her hands on Rachel's knees.
"You'll be fine, okay? Stop looking at me with those puppy dog eyes."
Rachel lowers her gaze instantly and nods her head as Quinn tugs the PE shorts onto her legs as well.
"Your dads at least bought you some stuff for this, right?"
Rachel nods again, and Quinn lets out a relieved sigh.
"Okay, good, that's good. I'm gonna go back out there, and you can just finish up in here, okay?" Quinn says, pushing herself to her feet and pulling the door behind her as she left Rachel alone for a moment.
She sits sideways on the counter while she waits, and bites her lip when she notices a faint blush on her cheeks. She shouldn't be embarrassed about this, should she? She helped a girl out. Big deal.
When Rachel comes out of the stall, she looks like a kicked puppy with her head low and her shoulders drooped. She washes her hands like they've been stuck in human waste for the past twelve hours and they're rubbed raw by the time Quinn manages to stop her.
"Rachel, it's just blood," she says soothingly, pulling her hands away and turning the tap off. "You need to relax."
"But I feel gross," Rachel pouts.
"Say hello to your monthly nightmare," Quinn replies, drying Rachel's hands for her. She grabs a couple of extra pads from her bag and hands them to the girl silently. "These will last you the rest of the day. You might not need them, but just in case, go to the bathroom and check between each period. Um. Like, class period. Not period period. Obviously."
Rachel laughs quietly and takes the pads. "Thanks. And- and thanks for helping me. God, I'm so embarrassed."
Quinn just shrugs. "Do you want to skip the rest of PE? It'll be easier than having to sneak back in."
When Rachel nods, Quinn picks up her soiled clothes and dumps them in the sink, turning the tap on to rinse the blood away.
"Hey, Quinn?"
Quinn looks up. "Yeah?"
"I'm going to hug you now, okay?"
With a laugh, Quinn steps back from the sink.
"Okay."
FIN.
Feedback is appreciated. (: