Got a prompt on Tumblr that asked for a story in which Finn reads something from Rae's diary. There are lots of different ways to go with this, so I might come back to the prompt in another way later... but for now- this!
Edit: Took a look around after posting and saw that this story started on a similar prompt to LJ9's wonderful fic and therefore both are kinda similar! Heh. On my honour, though- only read her story after posting this one! Likenesses are purely coincidental! :) That said, check hers out too, because it's wonderful!
She emptied the crisps into the bowl, biting the insides of her cheeks to keep from smiling too widely. Upstairs she could hear shuffling of feet on her bedroom floor; the faint sound of her stereo tuning out of static and searching for a good station. Finn was in her bedroom, her mother was away, and they had the whole day to spend together, just them. She couldn't resist a little dance of excitement, alone in the kitchen.
The radio had been playing commercials for a good minute, she realized as she climbed the stairs to her room, which was weird because Finn always flicked off talk and onto music before she even had a chance to realize the song had ended.
"You better be as hungry as you claimed to be when you called," Rae said as she bumped the door open with her hip. "Because I have-"
Finn spun around quickly, his eyes wide. "Wha?" He looked startled and displaced, as if she'd suddenly shaken him awake from a deep sleep.
"What are you doing?"
"Wasn't doing anything, really." He shrugged. "... You?"
"Finn, you're a terrible liar." She was smiling, amused at the obvious guilt in his eyes and the way he shuffled and bowed his head slightly, looking every bit like Chloe's puppy when he'd been into the rubbish bin. But then, as they looked at each other in loud silence, she suddenly realized, her skin prickling with anxiety, what had happened. She remembered now- she'd been at her desk when he arrived, and when she jumped up to run downstairs she'd knocked her diary on the floor and thought vaguely that she had better come back and hide it but had completely forgotten once Finn had stepped through the door and- "Oh, shit."
"Rae-"
In a quick maneuver she'd set down the tray of food and stepped around him, seeing the open book on her desk and as the heat spread over her body she slammed it shut, as though that would somehow erase whatever he'd seen. "How could you read it?!"
"I didn't mean to!"
"Oh, your eyes just accidentally moved over the words, then? You were so helpless you couldn't stop yourself?"
He hesitated, running a hand in agitation over the back of his head. "I didn't know it was your diary, alright, I just picked it up off the floor-"
"And when did I ask for a cleaning service?!"
"I picked it up," he continued, ignoring her, "And something... there was a sentence that caught me eye I s'pose... it was just a page or two... fuck, I'm really sorry, Rae."
Her eyes were closed, immune to his entreating stare as she braced herself for the worst. "What did you read, then? Tell me, quickly."
"It was nothing."
She opened her eyes to look at him. He... shit, he looked freaked out, with that dazed, slightly panicked air about him. Oh, god. What was it that he'd found out about her, what awful thing that would make him remember he had a real nutjob for a girlfriend? All the secrets that minutes ago had been so close to her were now all vibrating loudly in the space between them. "Finn, just say."
"Er..." He swallowed. "It was... about Archie and, it... well. It was about Archie, mainly."
"Oh, no." She could tell from his tone exactly what it was she had read. "Finn. You can't say anything."
"I won't! I mean, to be honest, Rae... it's a bit weird-"
Her attitude shifted instantly, a hand flying to her tilted hip. "And why is it 'weird'? He's the same boy, isn't he? He's still your mate!"
"I know!" Finn shifted awkwardly under her stare. "I don't mind! It's alright by me, it'll just take some getting used to, that's all. I've known Archie since we were- I've never- it just feels a bit odd at first, doesn't it?"
Rae sighed, walking over to him and raising her hand to his mouth. She mimed a 'zipper' motion with her fingers, smiling into his eyes and she felt him relax a bit, knowing he was absolved somehow. "Not a word, I mean it. Not to Chop, not to anyone."
His eyes fell down to her lips, and he grinned and shifted closer. "Won't say owt... but what'll you do for me?"
"Don't be cheeky."
"Why not?" he captured her bottom lip between his, kissing her softly, his fingers moving in a tantalizing way from her hips up to her waist. She sighed in contentment, her arms circling around his neck.
"You know... there are some parts of my diary you could read if you wanted," she offered, before she really knew what she was saying. "I mean- only if you wanted."
"'Course." He seemed to sense this was a big thing, a peek into this private world she was allowing him to glimpse every now and then. He nuzzled her neck and they just stood together in silence for a moment before he leaned back to look at her. "Anything in there about me?"
"Hmm... not much. You're pretty boring."
He pulled her even closer against him, smiling darkly at her.
"Well, alright... there might be a few things," she said against his mouth as their lips met once more.