Author's Note: I decided to write a series of firsts because I'm bored at work and I desperately miss Finn Hudson.
Normal disclaimer applies. Reviews make my day go by faster. Happy reading.
"Love is an irresistible desire to be desired irresistibly." – Robert Frost
"This is the worst idea you've ever had."
"Even worse than that time when we –"
"Okay fine. But this is definitely a close second."
Finn grinned at Rachel's huff. "I can deal with that."
"What was that?!"
"It was probably just a bug, Rach. Relax. This is gonna be fun."
"Finn, I think I saw a mouse. Are there mice in here? I swear if there's – "
"Rachel," Finn interrupts, stopping his crawling to turn and look at her. He's about to politely ask her to please, please for the love of all things holy, just trust him just this very once, because really, when has he ever steered her wrong? But then, scurrying across his left foot and squeaking ever so quietly, he hears it. Rachel's eyes bug so wide he might believe Barbra herself is in the sewer with them, and his condescending remark falls from his lips in a second. Instead, Finn picks up the pace.
"Just a little farther. Move faster."
He hears her huff before he even finishes his sentence but has to smile when she still follows him. He could always count on that; she once told him she'd follow him to the ends of the earth if that's where he so wished. He told her the farthest he'd ever been out of Lima was Disney World, and he didn't think that really counted as the end of the earth – wasn't that Antarctica? And anyway, she was always cold; there's no way he'd make her go to Antarctica with all the penguins and snow and stuff. He got a really big hug and a sloppy kiss too from that conversation, and it still hurts his head to figure out why.
"Could you at least tell me why I agreed to meander around sewage with you and ruin my favorite blue dress when it appears we'll just be becoming rat food anyway?" Rachel asks with a start and a squeal.
Finn throws a smile behind him while they kept crawling towards their destination. "Because you love me," he mocks, then jumps in pain when Rachel punches him in the shin.
"I don't find you humorous in this current predicament, Finn Hudson."
"Sorry babe," Finn sighs. "I can't tell you though. It would ruin the surprise."
"Finn, what if I get rabbies from this? If I die a horrible, premature death due to my boyfriend's admittedly sweet yet ill-advised attempt at woo-"
"We're here."
"Finn," Rachel speaks calmly, hoping she doesn't sound too high-maintenance when she explains to her dorably delirious boyfriend that they are still underground in a sewage drain. "Where exactly is here, might I ask?"
Even in the pitch dark, disgustingly dirty confines of the sewer, Rachel could still appreciate the way Finn's dimples grin back at her as he opens the drain above them, revealing a burst of bright light and not much else. Sliding to the edge of the sewer wall as far as he could, Finn gestures a dirty hand toward the light.
"After you."
What is this boy up to, and why does he have to be so gosh darn cute that she always listens? Rachel eyes him curiously for a moment before slipping past him and climbing up the short latter to reveal…
The bathroom of the bowling alley?
Alright. She knows Finn is a simple sort of guy, but he can't possibly think she wants to spend their one-year anniversary in the sticky, stinky stalls of Lima Lanes. Can he?
"Well!" he exclaims, standing up behind her and wiping his dirty hands on the sides of his new jeans. "What'd'ya think?!"
So maybe he can…
Now bearing in mind, Rachel Berry considers herself one amazingly talented actress, but she's fairly positive even the greatest in Broadway can't convincingly tell Finn this is appropriate. How can he think this is romantic? Exciting even? Yes, it's definitely an unexpected (unwelcome) surprise, but this is hardly what she had in mind.
"Rachel?"
She takes a moment to observe her surroundings before turning to face him. "It's very…" Her eyes swivel left and come face to face with a sticky, yellow glump encrusted around the edge of a urinal. Her nose scrunches up automatically. "…odoriferous." She finishes with a cringe.
The semblances of a smile cross Finn's lips before melting into a confused frown, but he quickly shakes his head and wraps his arms around Rachel's waist. "So you like it then?"
Rachel sighs, automatically cupping the sides of Finn's shirt in her hands as she peers up at him. "Finn, it's not exactly – "
"I know it's not how you imagined our anniversary would go, Rach. You wanted like candles and music and balloons and the whole bit, and I really wanted to give it to you. But you know Burt doesn't pay so well and Mickey here at the alley said he'd help me out if I cleaned some shoes for him on Saturdays – did you know people just like, don't wear socks when they bowl? It's gross – but I figured it was worth it for you and it's really not all that bad. People just don't wash their feet. But like, I still got you flowers. I thought they were kinda pretty, right? And I even wore my new jeans for you 'cause you said my old ones looked like they were straight out of a garbage can and I just really want you to like it. I'm sorry I screwed this up and I really hope you can forgive me because I just lo-"
She can't not kiss him. It's just an automatic reaction to his adorably naïve rants. He can pretty much get out of anything by just talking, but in that completely, you're-not- saying-anything- right-but- my-GOD-are-you- delicious way of his.
He seems stunned for a second before he grips her waist tighter and pulls her close, and she swipes her tongue against his bottom lip in appreciation. She feels his smile under her lips and forces herself to pull away. She is so not getting down and dirty in a filthy men's room.
She keeps her face close to his and waits for his eyes to open before she speaks. She loves the way he looks at her. "It's lovely, Finn. I really do appreciate everything you've done for me. Really. Thank you."
He grins crookedly at her and presses his lips briefly to hers once more. It isn't fair that she turns into a lap dog when he's around. She would do whatever he wanted. He needn't even ask.
"Anything for you, Rach. You know that." He taps her nose cutely and she giggles into his chest. She doesn't even care how cliché they are. In fact, she loves it.
"So are you ready for your surprise now?"
The delicious mixture of Finn's cologne and simply him is a momentary distraction before Rachel lifts her eyes to his curiously. "I already told you, Finn. I love it. And I love you." She smiles sweetly.
"I love you too, Rach, but you haven't seen the surprise yet," Finn admits with a frown. At Rachel's pouting lip, Finn's curve up slightly before he grabs her by the hand and pulls her toward the bathroom door. Thank God, because she's fairly positive she just saw a cockroach scurrying behind the sink. When was the last time Mickey cleaned this place?
It's times like these when Rachel knows she will love Finn Hudson for the rest of her waking life.
She never realized how big the alley really was.
All of the lights are off, save for one lane, where it almost looks like there's a spotlight overhead. Each lane is lined with those small little lights along the edges, making Mickey's shabby little place seem to go on for miles. Finn grins crookedly at Rachel's stunned reaction and gently pulls on her hand to draw her closer to their lane. On the screen flashes a star-covered picture announcing, "Happy Anniversary Rachel, I love you," and Rachel's heart melts just a little bit more upon seeing her sparkly pink ball waiting just for her, two freshly cleaned size five and a half's, and a tray of pepperoni pizza that Finn knows she'll only eat for him.
Was it not for Finn's strong arms wrapping around her and his chin resting on her shoulder, she might think she's dreaming.
"Surprise," he whispers, that crooked smile shining through his voice.
Grinning, Rachel spins in his arms and grabs a fistful of his shirt, pulling him closer than humanly possible to place a delicious kiss on his lips. He hums in appreciation and her smile breaks the kiss apart. His eyes gleam into hers and for a moment, she can't possibly care about anything else.
Finn's thumb runs along her cheek tenderly. "Happy Anniversary, Rach. If it's possible, I love you even more."
She wants to tell him she loves him too. She wants to push him on the grimy floor of Lima Lanes and make love to him right there. But god, he's so perfect and she's starving and pizza's meant for eating, you know?
She turns her mouth and kisses his thumb on her cheek with a grin, before pushing against his chest and twirling happily toward the table.
She immediately grabs a slice of pizza and breathes in the cheesy goodness before she takes a monstrous bite. The moan that escapes her lips is anything but non-sexual. She can't help it.
Finn chuckles behind her.
"Hungry, Rach?"
She turns to him with a smile and sits on the table.
"So, where's your pizza, Finn?" She pushes the tray behind her body and looks at him innocently.
Finn cocks an eyebrow. "You're telling me I bought the whole tray and you're not even gonna give me a slice? That's cold."
Rachel shrugs her shoulders. "I always lecture you about being well prepared. It's not my fault you don't listen."
Finn stops in front of her, chest out and standing tall. It's actually physically painful to not reach out and touch him. Were her hands not covered in grease and cheese, she definitely would have.
Finn crosses his arms and exhales a breath. "Alright. I'll make you a deal."
Rachel shoves the rest of the pizza in her mouth and nods, listening.
"I'll play you for it," he says, jerking his head toward the alley. "If I win, I get at least three slices."
"Three?! What do you think this is: a date?"
Finn does well to hide his smirk. "I'm a growing man, Rachel. A man's gotta eat."
Rachel mocks his stance and crosses her arms as well. She certainly doesn't miss the ways his eyes shift to her cleavage for just a second. She clears her throat, and he quickly looks into her eyes.
"And if I win?" she asks.
The corner of Finn's mouth lifts slightly. "Then you get to keep the whole thing."
"But it's already mine," Rachel argues. "It's not winning if I don't get anything extra."
"I mean, it's pretty unlikely that you're actually gonna win, but…"
Rachel hops off the table and scoots around Finn, being sure to brush against him lightly on her way.
She picks up her shining pink ball and turns toward the alley. Her dress twirls around her as she does, and his smile is infectious.
He half expects her to channel all that passion and ferocity and intensity he loves so damn much about her and pummel those pins in one toss. The other half expects her to step too far, slip and dive head first down the lane.
She meets him somewhere in the middle.
He watches as she winds her arm back, her tongue between her lips in concentration, and barrels the ball toward the pins. Somewhere along the way, it veers right, and he laughs loudly when she squeals and leans her whole body to the left, as if that'll somehow change the direction of the ball. She just catches the corner of some pins and manages a respectable five pins out of ten: a feat, based on the way she played when they first came.
There's a beat where he tries to hold in his laughter. She turns to him, trying and failing to look all scary and fierce, and she cocks her hands on her hips, smiling.
"Game on," she says, and shit, he's never been so happy in his whole damn life.
They play six frames before it becomes painfully clear that as great at Rachel is at a plethora of different things – (See? Plethora. Vocabulary is one of her things) – bowling is not one of them. Finn would feel bad were his stomach not growling from hunger and his girl's laugh not the happiest sound he's ever heard.
"Alright. Fine. I'll give you some pizza. Just please, bowl me a stupid strike," Rachel giggles, handing him her glittery pink ball.
Finn chuckles. "You want me to do it with this?"
Rachel nods, laughing. "At least then it'll be like I almost did it myself."
Finn shakes his head in disbelief, grinning. Nevertheless, he takes the ball from her and shoves his sausage fingers in the small little things they call finger holes. Rachel's cheering behind him like it's the last pass of a playoff game and honestly, there's nowhere else he'd rather be.
"Wait," he says. Sometimes he has bad ideas, like buying Rachel that pig for Christmas or kissing Quinn Fabray even when he knew she was the spawn of Satan (according to Rachel, that is); but other times he has good ideas. Really, really good ones.
He drops the ball in the ball return and jogs behind the counter, putting a finger up for Rachel to hang on.
Rachel pouts. "Finn!"
"I'll be right back! Take off your shoes!"
Rachel furrows her brow. "My shoes?" she murmurs to herself.
Nevertheless, she takes them off, and she's really starting to wonder whether she should question him more often.
Finn jogs back carrying two cafeteria trays. He smiles widely and hands her one.
She looks to him with that same dumbfounded look, and he must be getting used to it, because he laughs heartily and smiles. "Just trust me," he says. He puts a hand on the small of her back and guides her toward the lane. He slips off his shoes quickly.
"Sit down," he tells her, and Rachel hesitates a moment before the look in his eyes tells her to just trust him. As if she needed to be reminded. "Put the tray in front of your feet, and hold on."
She feels his hands on her shoulders and she realizes what he's about to do before he even does it. A squeal or maybe a scream escapes her lips. "Finn, don't!"
"One-two- three!" Finn blurts, and pushes her full force down the lane. She screams the whole way down, clutching the tray for dear life, and scrunches her eyes shut as she barrels toward the pins. Finn's laughter distracts her for a moment, and then she knocks into the pins with a thud and a shout.
Finn's cheering behind her, and she opens her eyes to see all the pins knocked down. She grins widely and turns her body to him.
"I got a strike! Finn, I got a strike!"
His cheeks burn with happiness. "You got a strike, Rach!" She raises her hands in a victory cheer and Finn takes the opportunity to–
"Here I come!"
- fling himself down the lane beside her.
She screams for half a second until he crashes into the pins and grins crookedly at her, sitting up and sticking his tongue out.
She can't help the way she feels when she's with him. When she was little she used to watch all sorts of sappy romances, even when her friends at dance and singing lessons mocked her for being silly and girly. She would watch those couples fall madly in love and fight and make up and yearn for one another based on the pure fact that they were so incredibly crazy about the other person, and she always thought it was a thing of the movies. How could you possibly feel for another person so strongly that a simple smile makes your heart pound a mile a minute?
It all seemed so surreal, and yet, she's sitting in a bowling alley lane in her socks and her favorite blue dress across from a boy with toothpaste on his collar and a brushburn on his chin and god. She can't believe she ever, ever doubted the possibility of being in love.
She hops over the barrier and grasps Finn's collar, pulling herself into his lap. She doesn't even give him a chance to speak before her lips are on his, and at this point, all she really wants is to be as close to him as humanly possible. Closer even.
Her tongue's in his mouth and his hands are on her waist when she feels lightheaded, and she regretfully pulls away. He smiles, his thumb stroking her cheek, and he kisses her forehead sweetly.
Telling him she loves him yet again would just be redundant now. She's pretty sure she's wearing a sign on her forehead that screams "I'm wholly, completely and disgustingly in love with Finn Hudson."
"Happy anniversary, Rach," Finn whispers, hugging her to his chest.
She buries her head in his shirt and breaths him in. "Happy anniversary, Finn."
They linger there for a moment. After all, they have all night, and honestly, Rachel's not sure she needs to be anywhere else so long as Finn's arms are around her.
But she does have a question.
"Finn?"
"Hmm?" he murmurs.
"How come we had to crawl through the sewage drain if Mickey agreed to set this all up?"
He's running his fingers through her hair so comfortingly that she almost misses how nonchalant he is when he speaks.
"Oh," he hums. He plants a lazy kiss on the crown of her head. "I lost the key to the front door."
She jerks her head back and gapes. The grin he wears is half guilty, half amused.
She slaps him in the chest.
"Finn!"
Up next: Their first time.
Feel free to give me some firsts you want to see.