Not Every Nightmare Is As Bad As It Seems…
Disclaimer: Glee isn't mine. *pouts*
Author's Note: Oh, is this a guilty pleasure fic. The premise is a Finn-initiated double date between himself and Rachel, and Quinn and Puck. It's not really a sequel to my story "His Only Reason To Go Back In Time…" so you don't have to have read that, but I guess this exists in my same mental universe where the events of that story explain how Finn and Puck have gotten to be friends again. This would be a few months later, after school has started.
I have to confess I'm not exactly a Puck/Quinn fan (mostly because I'm sorta split 60/40 between Finchel and Puckleberry. But I can read Puck/Quinn stuff, where as Finn/Quinn just makes me ill), but I tried to give them a relationship that was in line with what was honestly developed on the show. Hope it's believable in case some Quick fans are reading. Anyway, I'll shut up now… but please review. And please enjoy my pointless fluff!
!
"Finn Hudson, I love you, but you cannot possibly be serious."
But looking at his face, Rachel realized he very much was. She also realized that, even when he was being completely ridiculous, he was unwaveringly adorable.
Still, he would not be getting his way this time. "I am not going on a double date with them."
"What? It could be fun."
She scoffed out loud, an unattractive noise she rarely made outside of Glee rehearsals, but one she felt was totally deserved in this instance. She knew he didn't really believe that, but she also doubted he recognized how thoroughly un-fun his little plan would be. "May I please remind you that Quinn Fabray hates me. Hates. And that while I have absolutely nothing against Noah, anymore, he has actually gone to the trouble of verbally pointing out that he and I are not friends. Why on earth would you think going to dinner with them is a good idea?"
Finn sighed, "Because it's Puck's birthday. And he's kind of my best friend again. And I doubt he'd want to go without Quinn, and I know I don't want to go without you. And we're all in Glee together, so…"
"Just because they've stopped throwing slushies in my face and drawing pornographic doodles of me onto school property, does not mean that either one of them is capable of being civil to me for an entire meal. And I'm sorry if I'd prefer that the time I spent with you outside of school hours not entail me being on high alert, waiting for the next insult."
She saw his face fall, and she felt horribly guilty. She knew how much it meant to him that he and Puck were friends again. And how ecstatic he was every time he realized he could be around Puck and Quinn, together, and not have it hurt his heart. But, he just didn't seem to understand how seriously this scenario was asking, begging, for trouble. It was guaranteed, at the very least, to be a horrible evening. Plus there was additional risk for the future wellbeing of his newly re-formed friendship.
"Finn, you do realize that between the four of us we've managed to date in every possible heterosexual combination? Even outside the general loathing they both feel for me, it would just be plain uncomfortable."
He nodded a little at that, still looking like he'd had a whole litter of puppies, only to have a truck run over each and every one.
"I know, I just….I wanted to do something nice for him, and to offer something to show how far we've come. I thought it'd be, like, symbolic."
Exhaling loudly in resignation, Rachel took in the beautiful brown eyes of the boy she loved and knew, knew, she'd endure something akin to hell itself just to see him smile. And dinner with Quinn and Puck couldn't be as bad as that…could it?
"Oh, fine. I will go to this little birthday dinner. If, that is, Noah himself even agrees. I suspect both he and Quinn will have very similar reactions to mine."
She watched a combination of emotions light up Finn's eyes and saw that while she'd probably later regret this, she'd always understand exactly why she caved.
He pressed his lips to hers with gratitude, and she smiled at his childlike excitement. "Thanks, Rach. Really. And, it may end up way better than you think."
Rachel leaned in for another kiss to avoid having to answer.
!
"Well, I should have known you were due for another episode of stupidity." Quinn made her classic displeased face and Puck hated how hot he found it.
Except that he really didn't. Hate it, that is.
"Whatever, Q. You and I both know it's a fucking miracle the guy even talks to us, let alone wants us to hang out. Yeah, Berry's not exactly your favorite person, but it's the least you can do for Finn. I didn't get you pregnant all by myself, you know."
Puck knows he's got her when she rolls her eyes, and mutters something like "Oh, I could do less," but doesn't bother to argue any further.
She settles back down, her head resting against him, while she reads her assignment for English and he plays his video game on mute. It's a while before she speaks again, and when she does it's with a cautious tone he's rarely heard from the confident beauty.
"Rachel hates me."
Puck was quick to reply. "No, she doesn't."
Quinn looked up at him skeptically, but when she found sincerity on his face she began to look almost relieved.
Until he added, "Not that you wouldn't deserve it."
She opened her mouth to dispute that, but his look silenced the protests that they both knew would have been lies. She snapped her mouth shut and narrowed her eyes at him before pouting prettily.
"Look, we are who we are and there's sure as hell a reason most people are afraid of us. You're a bitch. And I'm an ass. And she knows that better than anybody. But, when Berry and me'd whatever'ed last year, she forgave me before I even bothered to apologize. She's not like us. She doesn't hold grudges."
Quinn wasn't looking at him anymore, but he saw her eyes soften. He figured he'd plow on since she was already taking this much better than he'd thought she would.
"As batshit-crazy as she can be, when you give her a chance, she actually makes it really hard not to like her. You've never given her that chance. For at least this one night, maybe you should."
Her eyes flashed to his then, and their usual green had darkened considerably. A sign Puck had learned to connect with trouble. He instantly berated himself for taking it too fucking far. He'd known it was insanity to get that close to suggesting friendship between them, but he'd gone ahead and done it anyway.
He opened his mouth to start the back-pedaling, but instead Quinn surprised him.
"I'm not sure why I picked her to begin with."
"Picked?"
"Yeah. Picked. She's never done anything to me. Other than trying to steal my boyfriend, of course, but that was after years of me already making her life as miserable as possible. It's never been about retaliation. I just picked her because I needed someone to push down so that I could rise up. She seemed as good a candidate as any."
Puck thought about it and realized it was true. By the time he'd started throwing slushies at her, Rachel'd already been placed as the number one target of torment from the popular crowd. Apparently it had been Quinn from the start who'd put her there.
He pauses the game to give her his full attention. And he thinks taking a break from annihilating the zombie-fucks on screen just to talk about her feelings either makes him a pussy, or a freaking badass boyfriend. He's really not sure which, but he's claiming the latter. He sits up a little straighter before trying his best at the comforting thing.
"Look, I'm not going to lie. At the time, I enjoyed every slushie I threw in her face. The way she looked right after was usually priceless, and it sent the message loud and clear that the Puckasaurus was not to be fucked with." He was glad when that pulled a little bit of a smile from Quinn's lips. He knew she saw right through his bravado, but he liked that she was amused by it. "But once I actually knew her, once I'd actually been slushied myself…" He sighed heavily. "What I'm saying is, we can't change what we did. And I'm not sure either one of us is the kind of person who would, anyway. But things are different now, so maybe, you and me, and Finn and Berry, can actually all hang out for one night without the world ending."
Quinn didn't look convinced, but she looked more sad about it than angry. She offered him a rare soft smile before picking her book back up, but though he restarted his zombie war, his mind lingered elsewhere.
He actually wasn't sure that Berry didn't hate Quinn. Or him, for that matter. And given Quinn's temper, and his ego, and all their history, he knew this dinner could blow up in their faces. He was wary of anything that could cost him either the girl he'd struggled to win over or the best friend he realized now he actually kinda needed. Plus, he liked to avoid Rachel Berry's "I'm so disappointed in you, Noah" face whenever possible. Still, Finn was his boy, so he'd already agreed to go.
But that didn't mean he didn't secretly agree with his girlfriend that this was an awful, stupid idea.
!
Quinn Fabray was in an exceptionally irritable mood when she pulled into the parking lot of Breadsticks that Saturday night, pretending that she had no idea how she'd managed to be talked into attending this train wreck.
Plus, she hated Breadsticks, so that added to her steadily mounting frustration. She understood it was one of the few places Lima had to offer that fit the high school dating criteria (nice enough to have waiters bring your food, cheap enough for teenage boys to afford.) But if she was going to have to endure this night she'd have preferred to do it some place where the staff didn't clap and sing one of those horrendous generic alternatives to "Happy Birthday" every five minutes.
As she scanned the parking lot quickly she noted that neither Puck nor Finn's vehicles were there yet and as she made out the unmistakable profile of one Rachel Berry through a front window, she cursed both her boyfriend and herself for their agreement to just meet here after his football practice.
In fact, she was still a little mad at him that she was here at all.
But she was more mad at herself that she'd agreed to the torture so easily.
She knew that Finn, if he'd ever dared to ask anything so ridiculous of her while they were dating, would have been very easy to shoot down. But she suspects that the fact that Puck wasn't is part of the reason she's surprised daily at how well their relationship is going.
Finn was truly sweet to her. Even through what she can now acknowledge was a relatively steady stream of verbal abuse. But she took it for granted, because Finn was sweet to everybody. Or, at least, everybody his then popularity allowed him to be. He was a nice guy, and she'd always known it, so him being nice to her was just expected.
But Puck? He was right in his assessment of himself; he was an ass. He was rarely nice to anyone. Even though he had stopped throwing kids in dumpsters and sloshing half-frozen sugar water in people's faces, it wasn't like he was suddenly a walking Care Bear of good intentions. The way he carried himself every day reeked of a bad attitude. The way he spoke was, at best, borderline offensive. He was a jerk, and a litany of other, harsher synonyms, even on a good day.
Yet, he was sweet to her.
He could infuriate her frequently, of course, and could only contain his instinct to turn everything into innuendo for so long. And, yes, if she was being unreasonable, or overly critical, or, well, bitchy, he wouldn't hesitate to call her on it and fight right back.
But, he also told her she was beautiful. Not just "hot" or "sexy" or any of the degrading words he'd usually use to indicate attractiveness in women, though he'd say those things too. He'd look her in the eye and smile a little and tell her she was beautiful in a voice that held so much awe she believed him.
He told her jokes, silly ones that contained not a single obscenity and would make her giggle like when she was a little girl. And she suspected that was a side of him that few others had ever seen.
When he kissed her, she never wondered for a single second if he was wishing she was someone else instead.
And sometimes, when she got real quiet, thinking about a baby girl who linked their lives together forever, but whom they'd never really know? He'd tuck her into his side without a word and she felt the most powerful relief to be near someone who knew exactly what she was feeling.
Puck wasn't a nice guy, but he was usually more than nice to her. And being the exception made her feel special.
Quinn Fabray liked feeling special.
And that was why she was here, trying to talk herself into walking into a restaurant she hated, to sit with a girl she hated, and wait for the two boys she's cared most for in her entire life to join them in misery.
She hated him for making her like him enough to do this.
Slipping into the character of "Quinn Fabray, head Cheerio," she gracefully exited her car and strode towards the restaurant as if she owned the world. She hoped she could play the part well enough to intimidate Rachel out of trying to make awkward small talk until their boyfriends arrived.
She hoped, but she should have known better.
"Hello, Quinn. You look very pretty, as always."
Quinn wanted to roll her eyes at the prim way Rachel welcomed her, but didn't. Partly because it would do no good to start picking a fight before they'd even ordered, but mostly because the sincerity in Rachel's voice and the small but genuine smile the brunette offered reminded her of what Puck said, that Rachel didn't hold grudges, and in that instant she knew it to be true.
"Thanks."
Rachel seemed unfazed that she offered no formal greeting or compliment in return, and the girl resumed her looking over of the menu quietly.
Quinn didn't need to. She'd been here often enough to know there were only a few things on the menu that fit her Cheerio-approved diet, only two of which she could actually stand. But she started to pretend to look over the selection as well, just to have something to do with her eyes.
A moment passed before their waitress silently placed an ice water in front of Quinn before walking briskly away. At the sound of the glass hitting the table Rachel looked up again, offering another shy smile before looking away and biting her lower lip slightly.
Quinn was pleased that, as nice as Rachel was treating her, there was this little tell that she really didn't want to be there either. For whatever reason, Rachel's discomfort put Quinn more at ease.
So much so that she found herself trying to make painful, but polite, conversation. "Have you decided what you're getting?"
"Well, there are very few vegan-friendly options here. Apparently they feel the need to bake cheese or chicken into most everything. You wouldn't happen to have any recommendations, would you?"
"Not really."
Rachel nodded, before looking out the window in a way that seemed like she was trying to make Finn appear by force of will alone.
After a few more beats of silence Rachel looked back to her. "Well, this is awkward."
Quinn took in the big brown eyes and almost half-smile of the (former?) nemesis before her, and after a moment couldn't help the laugh that bubbled up and out of her.
"It really is."
"Thanks for being willing to do this. I thought for sure Puck was going to refuse, on either his behalf or your's, and Finn would have been so very disappointed. I know it doesn't count for much, but I do appreciate you giving up a Saturday evening like this to make Finn happy."
"No problem."
It wasn't really "no problem." And Quinn knew Rachel knew it was a lie. But somehow, her willingness to lie to make things easier made some of the previously mentioned awkward fade.
However, Quinn still let out a grateful breath of relief when she heard her boyfriend's voice behind her. "Hey, Q." He kissed her cheek and gave her a quick questioning look to gauge how much trouble he was in for his tardiness.
She almost laughed at the relief on his face when she offered him a smile.
!
He hadn't known what the big deal was. When Rachel'd full out refused at first, and Puck had seem confused over the invitation, and Quinn had looked pained when he'd called, "See you tomorrow!" across the parking lot to her after the football game the night before, well, he'd thought they all had been being big babies.
It was just dinner. Something he and Quinn, with Puck and Santana, had done several times before.
And he'd kind of thought that if he could get over the past, they all should.
But as they waited for dinner to come, in absolute silence, he realized he'd been wrong. Apparently, it wasn't just dinner. And it was a big deal. And he should have learned by now to listen to Rachel.
It had started fine he thought. The girls were both already there when he and Puck arrived and there were no tears or bloodshed. So, that was good.
And he said hi to Quinn and gave Rachel a quick kiss and he and Puck talked about how much they loved all-you-can-eat anything, especially breadsticks, and it seemed pretty normal.
Then the waitress came and took their order. And no one had said a single thing since.
He looked over at Rachel a little concerned. First of all, because, while he'd learned as her boyfriend she was actually capable of being quiet for long periods of time (like on lazy Sundays when they just laid in each other's arms and listened to music for hours, or on the afternoons she forced him to do homework while she studied for a test), he knew that this was the kind of stifling silence she hated and the fact that she put up with it meant she was truly uncomfortable. Her eyes were a little downcast, but when she felt his gaze she turned to him and smiled, but it wasn't the brilliant grin he was used to and it made it nowhere near her eyes.
Guilt punched him in the gut as he thought that he willingly and somewhat-knowingly put her in this situation, a place where she felt fearful and vulnerable. He heard her concerns about Puck and Quinn, but apparently he hadn't really been listening. She just seemed so immune to them back when they were doing all those awful things to her (Quinn once compared her to the whack-a-mole…no matter how many times a popular kid beat her down, she popped right back up, smiling) that he didn't consider that it hurt her that much, that it could still hurt her now. Now he wondered if it wasn't something he told himself to keep from feeling ashamed.
Sometimes he really was so stupid.
Well, he'd make it up to her. Starting as soon as they got this night over with.
He glanced at Quinn briefly, taking in her bored expression that he found far too familiar, before turning to Puck and almost laughing at the strain on his face.
It reminded him of the time Puck's mom had to work on Christmas Eve and left him at Finn's for the night. They were 10 years old and Puck got dragged along on Carol Hudson's annual trip to church. He'd looked curious and uncomfortable the entire time, burdened by the stress of trying to behave in such unfamiliar surroundings. And he looked the same way now. Only, you know, taller.
Finn's brain was working as fast as it could to bring up something they could all safely talk about, but before he found anything Rachel let out a small gasp beside him.
"Oh, Noah, I almost forgot…" Finn watched as she pulled a purple envelope out of her bag and handed it to his confused friend, eyeing with amusement the sparkling gift bow on top.
"Um…." Puck opened it to reveal two tickets and neatly folded papers, but Finn couldn't make out anything they said. What was his girlfriend up to?
Rachel smiled with a bit more of her usual wattage as she explained. "It's a birthday present. My daddy's company had very discounted tickets to Kings Island available, so I got you a few. The park is only opened a little while longer, so, using Finn's practice and game schedule as a guide, I made a list of days that you had free between now and when the park closes for the season. Of course, I didn't have access to Quinn's Cheerio schedule, so some of those dates may not be actually possible, but I thought it might be a little easier to plan if you had a starting point for considering your availability. There's also a print out of the driving directions, in case you've never been before, and a list of some of the park's other activities, in case Quinn doesn't like rides." Finn gaped at her, and when he turned to Puck found a similar expression on the other boy's face. When his friend didn't say anything for a moment, he heard Rachel add quietly, "It's fine if you don't want to use them, but I just remembered you said once that you liked roller coasters."
That apparently snapped Puck out of his surprised stupor, because Finn heard his best friend offer an unusually sincere, "Thanks, Berry," before striking up a conversation with the girls on amusement parks and the time he'd gone to Cedar Point with his cousin.
Finn wasn't paying enough attention to be relieved that (finally) the uncomfortable silence had broken, as he couldn't pull his adoring eyes away from Rachel's face. She was so thoughtful, even when it was unexpected or undeserved. He couldn't fight his smile as he thought about how much he loved her, and how lucky he was that she loved him.
She must have felt his intense stare because she turned to smile at him then, and lifted a curious brow at his expression. He saw her lips moving but it took a moment to register that she was speaking to him. Shaking his head a little to lift the love-fog he asked her to repeat herself.
"Noah was telling us about your ill-fated venture on the tilt-a-whirl when you went to the state fair as kids. I was just asking if you were ever going to tell me I was dating a pansy?"
He might have been offended if the light in her eyes didn't scream amusement and affection, or if the sound of Quinn giggling hadn't been such a pleasant surprise. So he instead scoffed playfully. "Oh, I think Puck here is only remembering part of the story. I believe I had to go on that tilt-a-whirl all by myself because someone was too scared to even try it. Not to mention, it was his idea to see who could eat their bag of cotton candy the fastest, which was really the main reason that ride sucked so bad."
"Whatever, man. I wasn't scared, I was wisely cautious. And remembering how loud you girly-screamed, and how green your face got, it was a good call on my part."
Finn smiled as he and his best friend continued to recall each other's most embarrassing stories in the name of good-natured teasing, while their girlfriends listened and laughed. Even as their food arrived and they all dug in, the uneasy quiet of just moments before didn't return. And it felt like old times to him, only better. Laughing with Puck and seeing Quinn's genuine smile made his head swim with good memories and relief and gratitude. But the best part was getting to feel that way while Rachel's hand was clasped in his, resting on his leg beneath the table, and her soft melodic laugh filled his ears.
By the time dessert came (sorbet for Quinn and Rachel, and two giant pieces of cake for him and Puck), he was starting to think that while he'd still have some apologizing to do to Rachel, maybe this idea wasn't totally and completely bad.
!
Rachel stood up from the table and smoothed her skirt a little, still half-laughing at Finn and Puck's latest genre of insults (after Finn had insisted he pay for everyone since it was Puck's birthday, Puck had shown his appreciation by bringing up an embarrassing conversation Finn had gotten himself into with their health teacher in 6th grade about "his ovaries"), but also falling into deeper thoughts.
She'd been dreading this night for days, with the kind of gnawing in her stomach she hadn't felt since seeing those Vocal Adrenaline kids step into the parking lot with eggs in their hands. She'd internally written several monologues worth of excuses and explanations for why she needed to cancel. She'd even thought about moving her monthly Saturday morning volunteering at the daycare up a week, hoping one of the kids could get her sick (they really were covered in germs, you know) so that she could get out of this without lying to Finn. But now, even remembering the first 40 minutes of agonizing discomfort, she was amazed at how grateful she was she came. Mostly, because Finn looked as if he was floating he was so happy bickering with Puck (boys really do have strange ways of showing friendship), and the smile Noah had offered her led her to believe that, while he may never say out lout that they were friends, he would never deny that they were anymore, either.
As they all moved to exit the restaurant, she somehow fell in step with the blonde Cheerio who'd caused her so much strife for so long, and she hoped that Quinn had been pleasantly surprised by the evening too.
"So, this was not nearly as bad as I was expecting." She turned her head just slightly to smile at the girl beside her.
She was pleased when Quinn nodded, so she continued.
"Don't get me wrong, I had hoped that, had this gone dreadfully, it would at least prove to be great inspiration if I was ever cast in a production of Who's Afraid of Virginia Woolf? But I'm relieved to know I'll just have to rely on my superb imagination and empathetic nature to believably convey the emotional horrors of the gathering in that play."
Rachel realized half-way through her rambling that this was exactly the type of comment that kept her so estranged from many of her peers, including the reigning queen of perfection beside her. But she didn't have time to scold herself for melodramatic over-sharing because Quinn had shocked her by actually letting out a light chuckle. "Was I supposed to be Martha?"
"Surprisingly, no. For whatever reason I was envisioning Noah in her role. Possibly because the thought of him dressed as Elizabeth Taylor is quite comical for me."
Quinn smirked a little in agreement as they all stepped out into the crisp evening air.
Rachel breathed out contentedly. It was weird for Quinn Fabray to be laughing with her instead of at her, but she was delighted at how much her life was changing. Maybe Finn had been ri—
"Hey, I know! Why don't we all go bowling?"
She stopped short to stare disbelievingly at her boyfriend's excited face. Still, she took it as a sign of good things to come that her, Puck, and Quinn had groaned in unison.