A/N: I've been creeping around this site for a while now and thought I'd give a hand at actually writing now that I've got some time on my hands. So this is a little one-shot that I'm starting out with- just to see how it goes. By no means do I own Glee, the characters, or anything except my own imagination. Hope y'all enjoy!
There's not a thing he doesn't love about her. Like, seriously, how did he get lucky enough to land a girl as cool as Rachel? She always smelled great, and her smile and eyes were beautiful, she took care of him when he was sick, and he could always be sure to come home to a freshly baked desert of some sort. And yeah, she was vegan and refused to use anything except soy milk and healthy products when she made her sugar cookies and the brownies he loved so much, but he was totally into it now. Vegan stuff wasn't all that bad, he could barely tell the difference sometimes and he preferred making out with a girl whos lips always tasted like fruits than a girl who tasted like steak or whatever. Speaking of those kisses, her lips were always so full and soft against his own, and it became a pastime of his to just watch those lips move as she spoke, just letting himself become hypnotized by her beauty. And sometimes it was like those lips were used for evil. Rachel could talk his ear off, usually about Broadway and Kurt and clothes and all of these things that he didn't care about, and some of the time her perfect lips were used for screaming- that part sucked. There was nothing worse than pissing off Rachel Berry. He'd long learned what sets her off and what doesn't, and despite the fact that he knows these things, Finn still manages to get into trouble from time to time. It usually just ended in him sleeping in the living room, or having to go out and find something crazy romantic to do in order to get back on her good side. But the good was worth it. It was like no matter how badly they went at it, nothing could really beat being able to call her his in the end of the day. He's lost her a few times before and he didn't plan on doing that again. Rachel was tethered to him, they couldn't stay away for too long.
Yeah, he considered Rachel kind of hard to put up with from time to time, but it wasn't like a big deal anything because her good always overruled the bad and that was what love was all about, wasn't it? Being able to put up with the really shitty things because you cared so much? Psh, whoever said I couldn't be philosophical was just crazy…wait, philosophy is the subject with all the smart people, right? Whatever. He was spoken for and there was only one thing missing to make it truly official.
She closes her eyes and curls her body against his, yawning as she begins to doze off into sleep. "I love you." She whispers against his chest as she clutches onto his t-shirt with her tiny fists. Finn smiles and kisses the side of her head, burying his nose against her soft, dark, locks. This had been routine about every night since they'd moved in together. He ended his contract with the military around the time that Rachel was a Junior in college and, just as he promised, he came home to her. It took a while to get here, there was a lot of tears and making up before they spent their first night together, but they made it. A smile appears on his face as he thinks about their journey here, their struggles and how they overcame it all. It was like in all of those romantic movies she made him watch, except he wasn't all toned like Ryan Gosling, and she wasn't that red headed chick from that movie with the boat…(he knows he should remember the name of it, but Rachel always got all emotional when they watched it and let him touch her boobs. Referring to it as the boat movie was way better than referring to it as the boob movie).
He's not sure whether she's asleep or not. She's gotten all quiet and her grip on his shirt loosened, but he can't help but speak anyways, "Marry me." He whispers against her hair.
She was definitely awake. One moment, Rachel is allowing herself to get lost in the feeling of her lovers arms, and the next she's nursing Finns bloody nose. "I am so, so, sorry! I am so incredibly sorry!" She continues to say as she tries to clean off the blood from wherever she could reach without moving the ice pack that he was holding against it. "There aren't even words to describe how sorry I am!" She's never really hurt him like that before, although she should think that this is good payback for what he did to her nose back in high school, but she just hated to see him hurt like this.
"Rach, it's alright. I caught you by surprise, I get it." He says as he tilts his head back, holding the ice against his nose before chuckling lightly. "I'm actually kind of glad you can defend yourself like that. If someone ever tries to attack you, you could just smack your head against them and break their nose. It's like that thing is made or steel."
Rachel slaps his chest and pouts "It's not funny! I hardly think this is a time to be making jokes, Finn Hudson. This is serious." She tugs on his hand to force him to look down and gasps as she sees how swollen it actually is. She picks up her first aid kit and begins to tend to the wound gently. "So…did I hear you correctly back in there? Because if not, I think I had this incredible dream where you said-"
"Marry me." He says again, the tone in his voice proving just how serious he is about this.
She stares at him for what feels like an hour before shaking her head, her jaw hanging open as if he'd just knocked the air right out of her. "A-As flattered as I am by your sudden proposal, I cannot accept." She says as she continues to work on his nose, placing a Band-Aid on it and hoping it'd help until the morning where he can see a doctor for some X-Rays.
"Wait…you don't want to marry me? What the hell, Rachel! I thought we agreed that we were gonna get married someday. You're done with school, I've got the auto-shop, it seems like the right time to me."
Rachel smiles at how frustrated he seems by her response and she gets on to the very tips of her toes, just to reach a kiss to his chin, "I didn't say I don't want to marry you, silly." Rachel shakes her head at him and begins to pack the first-aid kit back up. "I simply said that I couldn't accept your proposal at the moment." He gives her a confused stare and she simply sighs, shaking her head. "You proposed to me in the middle of the night, while you're wearing Simpsons boxers and I'm in my I Love Lucy pajama pants! My feet hurt from dance rehearsal and you haven't shaved in like a week. And although I find your scruff to be incredibly attractive, I simply can't accept this proposal. I-I dreamt of something planned out, beautiful. I wanted my father's approval and lights. I mean, haven't you known me for the last ten years? Am I honestly the girl who gets proposed to in the middle of bed?" She looks at him desperately, hoping she didn't hurt his feelings too badly.
Finn stares at her for a moment, crossing his arms as if in deep thought before nodding "So you want to marry me, you just want an epic proposal?"
"Not epic, it doesn't have to be epic, just so-"
"No. I totally get it, Rach. Don't worry, I'm gonna blow your mind when you least expect it."
With that, Finn walks out of the kitchen with a confident smile on his face. She could tell the wheels in his head were turning rapidly, and as sweet as she thought he was for wanting to make things perfect for her, she just hoped he didn't take things too far. She knows that Finn could get the wrong idea about things sometimes and she really just wanted something that came from the heart- something that represented them as a couple.
"Baby? Where's my Jersey? I want to wear it to the game tonight."
Rachel grins at how excited he seems to be about the baseball game tonight. This year for his birthday she managed to get him season tickets to all of the Yankees games. Apparently the seats she got him were a hot commodity and he just about jumped her when she handed them to him. Usually he took Puck or one of his co-workers from the shop that he'd opened up with Burt about a year ago, but every once in a while he'd beg her to come along and she'd be forced to sit through the games. Honestly, it wasn't always all that terrible. He'd wrap his arm around her shoulder and explain the game to her animatedly, he'd point out all of his favorite players, and he'd always wear the biggest smile whenever someone made a…a homerun was it? A goal? She wasn't sure but it really made him happy.
"I just washed it so it should be in the closet. Here, I've got it for you." She pulls the shirt out of the hanger and walks out of the closet to hand it to him, smiling at the way that he stares at her legs. He always acted this way when she wore shorts and, well, it was the middle of September in New York. She couldn't exactly walk around in long pants all of the time, especially since they'd be outside the entire time. She jumps when she feels his hand smack her ass as she walks away, giggling at the sheepish smirk on his face at her reaction "Finn!"
"That's my girl." He calls out proudly while she finishes getting ready.
It's just near the second inning and the Yankees are having one of their best days ever. Everyone is in great spirits and even Rachel has caught on to the game, grinning and cheering everytime everyone else did. He can't help but look over at her and grin, she looked adorable in her Yankees cap, the huge NY painted in blue and white on the side of her cheek. He leans in and kisses her cheek playfully, pulling her closer to him so he could whisper into her ear "I've got a surprise for you." He smiles as she cocks her head to the side curiously.
"A surprise? Finn I wasn't expecting anything. This is so sudden." She smiles brightly at him, even though a pretty bad feeling settles into her stomach. Something was about to go wrong.
"Yeah, look up." Finn points towards a blimp in the sky, spelling out something, but Rachel can't exactly make it out.
"Wi-Will…Finn, I can't even see this! I need my reading glasses, hold on." She reaches towards her purse and Finn groans.
"Rach, will you hurry up? You're gonna miss it!" He says impatiently and rolls his eyes when Rachel pouts and crosses her arms over her chest.
"Don't you speak to me in that tone of voice! I'll see it, don't worry. I just need to find these stupid glasses so I can- OH!"
Finn is quick to tend to Rachel who's bleeding furiously as some kid the row behind them jumps up and down with the baseball in his hand. Fuck, he'd never get this right would he? "RACHEL! Rach? Baby, can you hear me?" He frowns as she groans and instantly calls for an ambulance. Well this couldn't have been any worse.
"Wait, so she got hit on the face with the baseball?"
Finn frowns as his brother laughs hysterically, tears nearly coming out of his eyes. It's been two weeks since the entire accident and Rachel hardly ever wants to leave the apartment, not even for Sunday morning brunch with Kurt and Blaine. And although he had no problem with taking care of his girlfriend, he did need a break from the screaming and the drama. She had it in her head that the bruise around her eye would never go away and she'd spend her entire life looking like a deformed zombie or something. He felt awful about it because he knew how insecure Rachel was to begin with, even though he thought she had no reason to be, and this huge thing on her face just wasn't helping.
"It's not funny, bro. She's really hurt and she hardly lets me touch her anymore, she won't even look in the mirror. It's like her life is over or something."
"Well knowing Rachel, which I do, it probably is in her mind," Blaine adds in before frowning "Why did you take her to that game anyways? Don't you usually take Puck?"
Finn sighs and scratches the back of his neck "Yeah…I was, uh, kind of trying to propose to her."
There's silence for a moment before Kurt squeals so loud that he's pretty sure Rachel heard it from home. Finn rolls his eyes, preparing himself for an outburst from his brother.
"Oh my god! Propose! Finn Hudson I cannot believe you didn't tell me anything! This is, like, the greatest moment of your entire relationship, I'm supposed to guide you through this!" Kurt claps his hands happily and Finn glances at Blaine, smirking at the way the other guy shrugs and takes Kurts hand lovingly, he really liked that his brother found someone that cared about him so much. "Oh, thank god she was wacked in the face with that baseball because that, my dear Finn, would have been the worst way to propose to Rachel Berry, ever." He shakes his head "Rachel is romantic. She's dramatic, she wants a candlelight dinner in the middle of central park, a band playing acoustic renditions of her favorite Streisand songs, doves flying all over the place, oh my god maybe we could even arrange for the birds to spell out the words in the sky! My thoughts are flowing…Blaine, Blaine get me a pen and paper sweetheart, I need to document this." He closes his eyes and fans himself dramatically, causing Finn to raise an eyebrow.
"Uh, that all sounds really…romantic or whatever, but I don't think I can afford all of that." He frowns. He wants to be able to buy the world for Rachel, but he wasn't any big shot. He made enough to support them and live comfortably and she made enough to live even more comfortably, but it was nothing huge.
"Are you putting a price on love? On your perfect moment? Finn, this is Rachel we're talking about- the love of your life! Are you really going to put a price on giving her the moment that she's always dreamed of?"
Finn frowns, scratching the back of his neck gently again and clearing his throat nervously. "No…No I guess not. I didn't really think about it that way."
Kurt smiles and reaches over to pat Finns hand "Don't worry big brother, I've got it all under control. All you need to do is make sure Rachel looks her prettiest and shows up." Finn kind of tunes out the rest of breakfast as Kurt talks about the special night and Blaine tries to keep himself entertained. He's afraid he doesn't know what he's gotten himself into.
"Finn Hudson, if I fall down and hurt my ankle I- Ah!" She giggles as Finn picks her up in his arms and presses a gentle kiss against her lips. All he said was that she needed to dress up, really dress up, and that she couldn't be afraid of the blindfold because he was about to give her the night of his dreams. Rachel wasn't entirely sure what he meant by that, but she loved the fact that he was trying and she knows that she'll love anything that comes from his heart. She leans forward and begins to press random kisses against as much of his skin as she could reach. "I love you." She whispers into what she hopes is his ear.
Finn grins and gently caresses her bare back as he carries her to the spot that Kurt had instructed him to take Rachel to by exactly eight o'clock. He didn't know what to expect from all of this, but he hopes that Kurt knows Rachel as well as he claims he does, because he sure spent a lot of money on this. But his brother was right, he can't put a price on Rachel. She was his world. "I love you too. You look beautiful by the way." He whispers back at her, grinning at the way that she smiled for him. And she did look enchanting. She wore a white and black dress that reached mid-thigh, white heels that made her legs look like they went on for miles and miles, and her hair was pinned back the way that he loved it so he could see her face. The bruise around her eye wasn't as bad anymore, it was covered easily by makeup which was enough to make Rachel happy again. Things were really looking up about now.
"Okay, we're here?" Finn frowns as he looks around. This wasn't them at all. There were waiters standing straight up with huge cloths hanging on their arms and different platters in their hands. There was a band playing some cheesy music that you'd hear in an elevator, birds as promised, and a table shaped like a heart in the middle of it all, with a bunch of glitter and roses on top of it. This was just all wrong.
Rachel opens her eyes once the blindfold is removed and blinks at the view before her. "Oh…Oh!" She forces herself to smile at him and squeezes his hand "Finn…this is…well this is just lovely." She smiles at him again and puts her arms around his waist, hugging him. "I love it."
The truth was that she was confused. None of this was Finn, it felt like more of-
"Excuse me, lady and…brother."
Rachel and Finn look away from each other to see Kurt dressed in a sequined black tux, a microphone in his hand. Rachel resists a chuckle while Finn looks at his brother in complete horror. "Shit." Finn whispers to himself as he and Rachel are practically forced into their seats by two of the fancy waiters.
"I am here tonight on behalf of two people I love dearly. You two have a romance that is eternal, that deserves to be celebrated every minute of every day. Unfortunately there are other important people, like me and my honey, hi Blaine," Kurt waves as Blaine sits by the piano before continuing his speech "So we're going to celebrate this love tonight…through song."
Finns groans and hides his face in his hands while Rachel covers her mouth with her hand and tries not to giggle. She leans into her boyfriend as Kurt begins to sing, whispering into his ear gently "What is all of this?" She raises an eyebrow at him curiously.
"I was just…aw, fuck. Kurt, c'mon man." He signals for the music to cut and Kurt stops, a pout on his face.
"I don't understand! You said you wanted to propose to Rachel, so I helped you, and all I get is this in return? Well I'm done here!" He walks away after kissing Rachels cheek and wishing her good luck with the rude oaf. Blaine chuckles and shakes his head at them "Don't worry about him, he'll be okay. Have a nice night you two." He kisses Rachel's cheek and pats Finn on the shoulder before following his boyfriend.
"Finn? Sweetheart, maybe we could go for a walk? You could explain everything to me then. These birds kind of terrify me…" She frowns as she sees one fly near them and he chuckles, nodding his head.
"So you let him plan the entire thing?" Rachel giggles loudly, making Finn grin. He loved the sound of her laugh, even if she was kind of laughing at him. There wasn't a single thing in the world he wouldn't do for that infectious laugh.
"Yep. He said he knew exactly what to do, how to make the night perfect for you. I just wanted to do something special, something you'd remember and be proud of telling our kids about someday." He looks down at his feet and sighs "I fucked everything up, huh?"
Rachel sighs and stops them. They were ironically walking along the very same bridge that they'd met on back when he took her on a date in high school. It was one of the best dates he'd ever taken her on. Thankfully her heels were high enough to allow her to tilt his chin down and lean in for a kiss. "You're really struggling with this, aren't you?" She asks a little sadly as she cups his cheek.
Finn nods slowly, still looking down at the ground. Rachel can't take it, she hates seeing him look so disappointed. While Rachel was insecure with her looks, he was insecure with his strength. He didn't think he could do many things, and she understood why. He'd spent the majority of his life being told that he was too stupid and that he couldn't do anything. By the time she walked in it was like it was too late. He'd improved so much, he was much more confident now, but this was affecting him and she felt like it was her own fault.
"Finn, I know I tend to be a little complicated. I'm high maintenance and stubborn, and I don't stop until I get what I want, but I love you. I love you and I love the things you do for me. When I asked for a different proposal I didn't mean some grand gesture like paying a blimp at a baseball game, or having your brother go completely out of his way for us. I wanted you. I wanted to know what you felt about us, because I do want to be able to sit our children down and tell them about the time you proposed to me and I actually said yes. I want to tell them that I cried and that I had never loved you more than in that exact moment. Do you understand what I mean, Finn? I don't need anything but you." She smiles when he finally looks at her, his eyes shining in that way that she adored so much.
He suddenly gets down on one knee, his heart practically beating right out of his chest. If it didn't work this time then he didn't know what would work. Finn was perfectly aware of where he took her, he liked to come here to think from time to time and it was sort of their spot. He looks up at Rachel and smiles, that was the look he was waiting for. Her eyes were wide and innocent, as if she didn't expect this at all, and her hand shook slightly as he took it in his. "Well I'm right here, Rach. And I love you more and more every day, which is why I'm so eager to get married. I want you to have my last name, to have my babies, I want everything with you. Will you do that for me? Will you let me have everything with you for the rest of our lives?" He pulls out a small black box from his pocket and smiles at the way her eyes tear up at the sight of it. It was his mom's ring, the one that his Dad gave her when he proposed. He's been holding on to it for a few months now and it felt good to finally offer it to her.
"Oh, Finn." Rachel grins and pulls him up by the shirt, bringing him into a deep kiss as she nods her head. "Yes! Yes, yes I'll marry you. I would love to be Mrs. Finn Hudson." She giggles at the name, loving the way that it sounds coming from her lips. She can't help but pull him into another kiss, grinning as he picks her up in his arms. This was what she wanted- this was their perfect moment.
"Noooooo!" Rachel groans as the sound of a baby screaming reaches her ears. She'd just gotten little Christopher to go to sleep two hours ago and he was already up for a feeding. They'd been through this before, her and Finn. Katherine hadn't been any easier to handle as an infant, but seeing as she was five years old now, she was way past that stage and so were they- or at least they thought so until little Christopher came and surprised them all. Finn mumbles something about it being her boob from his side of the bed and she frowns before kicking him on the shin.
"Fuck, Rach!" He sits up and rubs his eyes. "You really do pack a punch, huh? Made of steel… I'll go get him." He mumbles before getting up and going towards their four week old son's nursery to pick him up and take him to Rachel for a feeding. "Hey there little man. You sure know how to make Mommy mad at me. We're going to be okay though, you are too. You're gonna be able to sleep the whole night just like your big sister."
And just like that, Katherine walks into the nursery, rubbing her eyes with her small fists. She was the spitting image of Finn. She had freckles on her cheeks, big brown eyes, the same light hair he had when he was a kid, but she had Rachel's olive skin tone, her sweet melodic voice, and her sense of style for sure. He grins at the little girl standing before him and holds Christopher in one arm so he could pick her up in the other. "Kat, you're supposed to be sleeping." He says, kissing the top of her head as she rests it on his shoulder.
"Topher woke me. I wanna sleep with you and Mommy." And just like the sucker that he was for his two children and his wife, Finn nods his head and agrees.
"It looks like we're going to have a sleepover tonight." He says as he carries both their children into the room.
Rachel smiles gently at their daughter, knowing she's had problems with sleeping on her own ever since the new baby was born. She scoots over a bit on the bed and takes Christopher in her arms, covering herself as he latches on to her with ease. Christopher was much more attached to Rachel than Katherine was. He took to her more easily and always seemed more soothed by her than by Finn, unlike their daughter who enjoyed Finns embrace most.
"C'mon Kat, you have to go to sleep sweetheart." Finn says as he tries to sooth their daughter. The little girl shakes her head and looks up at Rachel curiously.
"I want Momma to tell me the story."
Finn rolls his eyes and Rachel chuckles gently, shaking her head at their daughter. "Again? Baby, you've heard that story about a million times now."
"Again, again!" The little girl demands and Rachel sighs, looking at her husband just as lovingly as he was staring at her before nodding.
"Okay, I'll tell it again." Rachel makes herself more comfortable on the bed and continues to feed Christopher as she begins to speak. "Well, you know that I always wanted to marry daddy, he's always been perfect to me…" She smiles at Finn and begins to tell their story to their daughter, just as proudly as she promised she would the day that he proposed to her.