After what seemed like interminable hours spent explaining to Brittany that Lord Tubbington couldn't fly in her carry-on, watching Prom Night, the terribly-chosen in-flight movie (twice,) and attempting an impromptu performance of "I Believe I Can Fly," much to the chagrin of their fellow passengers, the New Directions arrived in New York City, completely exhausted. When they arrived at their hotel, most members slinked off to their rooms for some much needed shuteye.
However, one member was almost foaming at the mouth in excitement, begging anyone with a face to accompany her on a stroll around the city. Rachel Berry became so desperate that she began knocking on her fellow Glee member's doors, which almost earned her a punch in the face from Santanna and a rejection of friendship from Kurt. However, when she reached the room that Finn and Mike Chang were sharing, Finn rubbed his eyes and agreed to accompany her a little too easily.
Rachel practically dragged him out onto the street, and it wasn't long before she'd bought a map and was headed towards Broadway. Her eyes were more alive than Finn had ever seen them. She was in her element.
"Finn, can you believe we're in New York?" Rachel squealed, spinning around in a circle. "I've been waiting to come here for my entire life!"
"I'm not sure if New York City's ready for Rachel Berry," Finn said, highly amused by her giddiness.
"Well, I'm ready for New York City, so it's just going to have to deal with me," she said, picking up her pace.
Something crossed Finn's mind. "How have you never been here before?" he asked. "Isn't this like, the showtunes capital of the world?"
"My dads are really protective," Rachel explained. "They thought New York was too rough for their precious daughter. They barely let me go this time." She broke off and screamed again. "Oh my god, there it is!"
As they turned the corner, the glittering lights of Broadway came into sight. Moving billboards, marquees and a myriad of theaters stood on the street, and Finn realized why Rachel would be so excited by a place like this as she ranted about what musicals were where. This is where she wanted to be in the future. This was her dream. And he realized, he needed to tell her. He brought her over close to a theatre that was showing Next to Normal.
"Rachel, can I tell you something?" he asked. She nodded, and he began, his ears turning red. "Okay. So I was thinking. I know my name will never be on one of those Broadway sign things. Jesse's right. I've never had that in me. But I'm okay with that. I know this is probably really stupid of me, because I should want to be an astronaut or a teacher or something awesome. But I realized something yesterday. I don't know why, but I want nothing more than to be able to watch you sing from backstage and think, 'That's my girl.' I want to be the guy who awkwardly stands next to you during interviews, the one who helps you climb the stairs to get your Grammys because your heels are too high."
Rachel opened her mouth to speak, but he interrupted her. It was obvious he'd rehearsed this in the mirror many times, and wouldn't be interrupted. "I don't know where the rest of my life is going, Rachel. When I think about it, everything changes: where I'll go to college, where I'll live, even who I'll end up being. But for some reason, you're always there with me. That's why I broke up with Quinn-"
"Wait, you broke up with Quinn?" Rachel asked, her eyes wide.
"Yeah, a week or so ago. Didn't you notice that she was particularly vicious this week? Less cheerleader, more rabid dog?"
Rachel looked down at her shoes. "Not really. I've been kind of distracted by writing the songs for Nationals, packing for the trip, Jesse's constant texts, phone calls, e-mails…"
Finn closed his eyes and took a breath. He was too late. He had thought this might happen. "So you and Jesse are back together again?"
"Not exactly," Rachel explained. "We're kind of…a thing. He wanted to be, but I told him I didn't want to get too serious, at least until we got back from Nationals."
"Why's that?"
"I'm not totally sure, honestly. It confused me at first; I didn't even mean to tell him that. It just kind of slipped out. But I think a part of me was always holding out for someone else," Rachel said, her eyes meeting Finn's then quickly flitting away. "You never forget your first love, Finn, and you've never been an easy one to shake."
"I could say the same thing to you, Rachel Berry."
She grabbed his hand suddenly, almost making him jump. "Let's go get some coffee and figure stuff out. You look like you might fall over from exhaustion, anyways," she giggled.
Finn displayed his silly, crooked smile. "That sounds perfect."
Together, the two teenagers strolled down the streets of New York City in search of a coffee shop, hand in hand and happily making small talk like they'd never been apart.
A/N: Okay, I was lying in bed yesterday and Finn's speech just kind of came to me. The writing style is really bizarre for me, and I kind of rushed to get this done, especially at the end, but I think it was an interesting experiment. This is my first Glee fic, so share your thoughts, please?