A/N: For Dee
His mom told him that Teddy was home with the babysitter, that he should head straight back to the house from campus because she and Burt are going to be late and the sitter's on duty until six. He's totally fine with that, because being in college is fun and all, but he misses the little monster, and he knows Teddy misses him too, because "Kurt don't play soldiers the same as you"; so he's ditching a trip to Atlantic City this long weekend to spend time with his little brother. He thought the babysitter was going to be a shy little thirteen year old with braces.
He didn't think that it was going to be Kurt's bestfriend, Rachel Berry, with her pretty smile and the most perfect ass he has ever seen in her teeny tiny skirt.
He's still standing just under the kitchen doorway, appreciating the view presented to him when Teddy looks up from whatever it is that Rachel is showing him and spots Finn. The little monster's face lights up like it's Christmas or something, and seriously, Finn's pretty sure that his brother is the most adorable kid on planet earth, possibly the universe.
"Finny!" Teddy exclaims, as the kid jumps off the kitchen stool and barrels towards him. Finn grins, kneeling down and opening his arms when Teddy jumps him.
"Hey buddy," he says, hugging Teddy tight. "I missed you."
"I missed you too! I didn't know you were coming."
"Yeah man," Finn says as he pulls back, grinning. "It's a surprise. I'm going to be here until Monday. Awesome, right?" Teddy's eyes widen and he turns around to look at Rachel, which is about the time Finn realizes that she's been staring at them this whole time. He stands, shooting her a smile while Teddy tells her that his brother is staying for a whole weekend. She looks slightly surprised to see him, but a smile slides into place as she sends him a small wave.
"Hi, Finn," she says, almost shyly while she stands behind the kitchen island. "Welcome home."
"Hey," he answers. They stand, almost awkwardly while Teddy keeps talking, and he wonders when it was that Rachel Berry stopped wearing her animal sweaters. He looks back down, averting his gaze from her short skirt and tight blouse, opting to look at Teddy instead. He catches the tail end of what his brother is saying, Teddy's face red with excitement.
"- And his name is Oz."
"Whose?"
"Our class goldfish, Finn," Teddy answers impatiently. "Duh."
"Oh. Right. Sorry dude, I didn't hear you."
"We get to take turns to bring him home, and I brought him home last week and I gave him goldfish crackers, and he really liked it, and if you came home last week you coulda seen him, right Rachel?" His brother says this all in one breath, turning around again to look at Rachel, who is smiling in amusement.
"That's right," she says. She turns to look at Finn. "Well, I guess I should leave now," she says.
"I mean, you don't have to," he answers, shrugging. "You can stay until six if you want."
"It's already half past six," she answers, a small smile gracing her face.
"Aww man, really? Sorry for being late, I got caught in traffic."
"It's fine," she says quickly, finally moving as she walks towards them, shrugging on her cardigan. "We were having a ton of fun anyway, right Teddy?"
"Yep. Rachel was going to make me a veggie burger."
"Really?" Finn asks, making a face. "Do you like veggie burgers?" Teddy doesn't answer for a few seconds, but his nose is scrunched when he starts to nod.
"Rachel likes it," his brother answers, and he laughs when she glares mockingly at the both of them.
"Clearly, my veggie burgers doesn't come close to your presence," she quips, her hands on her hips. "So I guess I'll just leave."
She strides over to give the kid a hug, and turns towards him, straightening up like she's not sure what to do, before he leans forward and gives her a quick hug.
"It's good to see you, Finn," she says softly when he pulls back.
"Yeah, you too."
They watch her leave through the kitchen door and make her way through the backyard back to her own house, and once she's safely inside, he turns back to his brother.
"Does Rachel babysit you a lot?" he asks. Teddy nods, taking his hand to pull him out into the living room.
"Yeah. 'Specially when Kurt goes out with Blaine," Teddy tells him. "She's awesome."
"Yeah?"
"Uh-huh. I mean, she's no good at playing soldiers and stuff, but she's really good at telling stories, and she knows how to make funny voices. And her veggie burgers are okay, I guess," Teddy finishes, making a face. He laughs as he ruffles his brother's hair. Teddy fishes his phone out of his jeans and turns on Angry Birds, and proceeds to completely ignore him, until he says that they're going out for pizza. That kid loves his pizza like Kurt loves his Broadway posters.
Xxx
He doesn't see Rachel again until Saturday evening, at the weekly Berry-Hummel dinner out in their backyard. He'd spent the whole day with Teddy, as promised, and honestly, he'd forgotten how tiring little kids can be, especially six year olds with bundles of stored energy. It's like he's trying to do all that they can do together in one day. He had to remind the kid, time and again, that there was still tomorrow, and that he won't leave until Monday morning so they'll have a whole day together, and it's not until they're tossing frisbees out in the yard that he finally starts to tire out. By the time dinner rolls around, the poor boy is sitting on the living room couch, nodding off.
"Well, it's never been this easy to get him to sleep before," his mom says, amused. "I just wish we could have waited until after dinner."
"Sorry mom," he answers sheepishly. "We had a pretty eventful day."
He chuckles when Teddy finally dozes off, his head lolling to the side. They're waiting for the Berrys. Burt is in the basement, and Kurt's putting the finishing touches to his dessert. He'd been helping to set the table, trying to evade a quiet moment with his mother, but from the determined look on Carole's face as she turns to him, he knows he's caught.
"It's fine, Finn. I know how much he misses you. You don't come home enough, that's the problem."
"Mom-"
"I know, I know. You're very busy being a college student, you don't have the time. But a year is ridiculously long, Finn."
"You know I was working last summer," he argues. "And you came to visit for Christmas, so it's not like we haven't been seeing each other."
"Yes, but this is the first time since you've been home, Finn. Is it that hard to just take the time and come home once in a while?"
"Mom I-," he starts, but she has this look on her face. This stubborn, hopeful look on her face, that he never says no to. And this is exactly why he was trying to avoid this conversation with her. He sighs. "Fine mom. I'll try to come home more, okay?"
She sends him this huge smile that looks just like Teddy's as she steps closer to pull him into a hug. His mom is tiny, but she's really strong. She's a total hugger, and when he was younger he used to get really embarrassed about it. But he's in college now, and he rarely gets to see his mom, so whatever.
"I'm not asking you to come home every week, Finn," she says when she pulls away. "But once every few months would be nice."
"Okay, mom," he promises, rolling his eyes in good nature. He picks Teddy up to carry him to his room in his haste to avoid a deeper conversation, one that would most definitely involve his dating life. Teddy talks in his sleep, mumbles something about frisbees and soldiers as he snuggles closer to his big brother, and it pulls a smile out of Finn when he sets his brother down. He knows that there's some truth to his mom's words. He calls home and talks to his family every weekend, but he could have sworn that the last time he saw Teddy, the kid was definitely an inch shorter. It's not that he doesn't want to go home. It's just that it's easy to get carried away with college life, you know?
He's walking back down the stairs when he hears her voice. He doesn't really know why it makes him slow his steps, but he tries to be quiet when he hears them arguing.
"No, Kurt."
"Rachel, just call him. Take charge, there's nothing wrong with the girl making the first move."
"Well maybe I just don't want to make a move on him."
"Why not? He likes you. Did you see the way he was looking at you in that skirt last week? I mean, it made me blush."
"Kurt."
"I'm serious. It's senior year, Rachel. Prom is coming up in a few months. Lighten up, would you? It's okay to have fun once in a while you know."
"I just don't like him that way."
"Well maybe if you give him a chance, you might."
The oven timer goes off then, and he waits until Kurt leaves to go check on his pie before he starts walking down the stairs. Rachel is standing near the couch, a thoughtful look on her face. She's wearing a skirt, but it's looser, which is a good thing. It was bad enough that he was kind of creeping on his little brother's bestfriend the other day, he doesn't want to spend the whole dinner doing the same thing. She's wearing a sweater with heart prints all over it, and she looks more like the Rachel Berry he knew before he left college, and it's- well it's comforting for some reason.
"Hey Rachel," he calls out when he reaches the last step. Her eyes widen in surprise when she sees him as she straightens up immediately. She almost looks like she's blushing, but he's pretty sure that's just the lighting.
"Finn. Hi. Where's um- where's Teddy?"
"He's asleep. You know, long day."
"Yeah, I saw you two playing you soldiers out on in the front lawn this morning. I mean, you know, not that I was staring or anything. I was-"
"Yeah, we had a lot fun," he cuts in, smiling. Her shoulder relaxes as she recirpocates.
"That's good," she says, less awkwardly. "He really misses you, you know. He talks about you a lot."
"He does?"
"Yeah. It's always 'Finn did this', or, 'he said that'. Or 'Finn just bought me this cool sweatshirt from college'. I mean, it's cute."
"Yeah, he said that you babysit a lot," he says. They're standing in front of each other by now, and he takes a sit on his dad's old armchair when he realizes that he was kind of looming over her. Rachel shrugs, taking a seat on the edge of the couch.
"Drama club hasn't really been all that busy, and Kurt has a boyfriend now, so I have a lot of time in my hands. Besides, I'm saving up for New York."
"Oh so you're definitely going?" he asks. For as long as he's known her, since his mom married Burt and they moved here when he was eleven, he's known that Rachel wants to be on Broadway. In fact, that was how she and Kurt became bestfriends in the first place. Finn went through his whole life up until that point not knowing that musicals even existed, and suddenly he was stuck with a weird stepbrother who talked like no other boy he knew, and a strange girl who liked to sing all the time. Over time he guesses he kind of grew to accept it. Kurt is still the most flamboyant boy he knows, and the last time he checked, Rachel was still that girl who sang all the time, but nine years on, he's used to it by now.
"Well, I haven't applied to NYADA yet, but-"
"I'm sure you'll get it," he says. "I mean, you're the best singer I've ever heard in my life."
"Really?" she asks. He always finds it funny when Rachel doubts herself, mostly because she's honestly the most confident person he's ever met in his life, but also because well, she's confident because she's good.
"You're like the most talented person I know," he confesses. "Just, you know, don't tell Kurt I said that."
"Thanks, Finn," she answers, a shy smile on her face. She puts a hand on his thigh, squeezes it gratefully, and he's not entirely sure why her touch seems to zing through every part of his body. Her eyes are warm as she looks at him, and it's kind of mind boggling right now, because, Rachel Berry doesn't feel like she's just his brother's bestfriend anymore.
Xxx
They sit next to each other at the dinner table, barely saying anything to one another that was more personal than "can you pass the salad" and "thank you". He busies himself by answering question after question from her fathers. They're asking him about college, and he's pretty sure they're like, taking notes for future references. Rachel keeps fidgeting next to him, probably because she's embarrassed by all the questions, but he doesn't really mind it.
"What about the bathrooms?" Hiram Berry asks him. "Do you share them with the ladies?"
"Well, yeah if you live in a shared dorm-"
"But how do these girls get their privacy. How can-"
"Daddy," Rachel hisses next to him. "God."
"Rachel, we're just-"
"How about your classes, Finn?" she asks loudly, turning to him and resolutely ignoring the disgruntled look on her father's face. He grins at the blush on her cheeks.
"They're great. I mean, they're relatively new, since I just switched this semester."
"Oh? What are you taking?"
"Music Education." Her eyes widen in surprise (it's starting to be a pattern with them, he notices) at his answer, and he shrugs.
"Yeah. I just- well I decided to switch majors at the end of the last semester. I mean, I know it's a little out of left field-"
"You're a great drummer," she blurts out. It's his turn to be surprised, and she looks down immediately, turning red again. He turns a little to see that Kurt is talking to his mom, and that Hiram and Leroy are in a heated discussion with Burt about baseball. He turns back towards Rachel, and she's looking at him a little hesitantly.
"Thanks," he murmurs. She nods quietly before taking a sip of water, and they go back to their food in silence as he pretends to listen to the conversation around them. He's really just a little distracted by the way she's picking at her salad.
"It's um-" he starts, clearing his throat. "I know that everyone's kind of surprised, you know, with my major."
"I think it's awesome," she says earnestly. She finally looks up at him, and he shoots her a small, hesitant smile that seems to embolden her. "I always knew you were musical, you just never admitted it to any of us."
"Oh you did, huh?" he asks teasingly. She grins.
"Yes. Remember when Kurt and I used to sing songs from Barbra's best musicals and you'd refuse to join us?"
"That's because I never knew what the heck you guys were singing."
"Yeah, but you'd always end up tapping along to the beat anyway."
"I did?" he asks curiously. He didn't realize he did that. She nods, looking down like she's embarrassed.
"And um- that band you and Puck joined back in high school."
"Oh God, you mean that terrible cover band?" he asks, groaning. She looks up with a grin.
"It wasn't that bad. It had a great drummer," she offers. He chuckles.
"You think so?" he asks.
"Yes. You're very talented, Finn," she answers warmly. Her brown eyes seem to sparkle in the light, and her smile is almost coquettish when she catches his eye. "I should know. I'm very talented too."
He laughs at that, nodding his head in agreement as he takes a sip of water. He turns and catches Kurt staring at them, an odd look on his face. Kurt raises an eyebrow at him, and sends him a look that he ignores. They go through the rest of dinner in silence.
Xxx
"Were you flirting with my bestfriend?" Kurt asks him demandingly when they pass each other in the hallway.
"Dude," he mutters. "No."
"Are you sure?" Kurt asks, his eyes narrowing in suspicion. Finn rolls his eyes, proceeds to ignore the smaller boy and slips by him to enter his room. "You better not be!" Kurt calls out after him. "Because she has a date tomorrow."
"She's not just your bestfriend, you know," Finn says once his inside. Kurt raises an eyebrow, and opens his big mouth, but Finn cuts him to it. "She's also our neighbor, so like, you don't get dibs or anything. Oh, and by the way. You better tell her about that date soon, or she's going to kill you."
Xxx
He's out in the backyard, climbing up their old treehouse with Teddy when he hears her scream Kurt's name, and it doesn't sound like a pleasant scream. He sees Rachel storm out of her back door, making a beeline towards his, not even seeing him as he stands on the makeshift steps of the treehouse. He grins to himself.
"Finn!" His head snaps up to find Teddy looking impatiently at him and hurries to climb up.
He's pretty sure Rachel just heard about her date tonight.
Xxx
He's packing his bag for the morning, basically stuffing all of the clean shirts (thank you mom) he has into a small duffel bag, when he hears the sound of a car door slam. He ignores this inexplicable urge to look out his window, because regardless of what Kurt believes, he wasn't flirting with Rachel Berry, and he doesn't care that she just went on a date with some blue-eyed, blonde dumb jock who looked like he was auditioning for like, a Gap ad or something. Yes, he knows he's generalizing and that a few years ago, he was that dumb jock, but seriously. Whatever.
He shoves everything into a the duffel bag, zips it, and throws it on the floor next to his bed. It's 10.30, which is like, really early for a date, right? Ignoring his better judgment, Finn walks towards the windows, throwing his curtains back. Rachel's room is just opposite his. Back when they first moved in, Kurt used to beg him to switch rooms so that he could have the window seat right in front of Rachel's balcony. They were planning to have one of those 'secret code' thing or whatever, between the two of them, and Finn was in the way. But, they'd just moved in, which meant that their parents had just gotten married, and he was still a little sulky about having to move away from his friends, so he didn't let Kurt have it. Plus, the room's bigger and he gets his own bathroom, so.
Having their rooms so close together did kind of drive him crazy when he was younger though. See, Rachel had this habit of going out to her balcony in the evenings to practice her vocal scales, every single night. At one point, he almost wished he did change rooms with Kurt, until Burt helped them build the treehouse anyway, and then he just took to hanging out in it every night after dinner. She hasn't done that since her freshman year though, when she joined the Glee club with Kurt. He was already a junior by then, which meant that he was way above the fresh meat in school, but he did warn his brother that Glee club was social suicide, which of course, Kurt didn't heed . Kurt and Rachel were pretty lucky that Finn had as much pull as he did, frankly speaking, because his reputation was about the only thing that saved them from getting slushied in the face every week .
Anyway, that was years ago, and he's in college now and Rachel and Kurt are seniors, and it's been what, two years since high school? Rachel's like that kid sister he never asked for, you know? Her and Kurt were like, attached at the hip or something, so he used to just automatically look out for her too, and that's why he's so curious, you know? Like, he's being the protective older brother right now.
Yeah.
Her blinds are closed (good, 'cause he's not a creeper), and so are her lights, and he's about to turn away from the window, when light suddenly filters from her room. So she's home. That's good, he guesses. He turns away, because again, he's not a creeper or anything like that. He was just curious to see if it was her, and it was, and that's that.
He doesn't really realize what's he's doing until after he's sent the message, that he'd basically just texted her.
That was a quick date.
What the hell is he doing? God. He groans, throwing the phone on the bed. He did not just do that. His phone lights up in a minute, and it takes him another minute before he looks at it.
Are you stalking me?
He stares at it for a while, not sure if she's kidding or not. He thinks about the way she'd smiled yesterday while she teased him, and decides that she is. He laughs, picking up his phone to reply. They banter for a little while, and he almost forgets that he's talking to Rachel Berry, his next door neighbor and kid-sister-by-extension. He's not flirting. He's just- talking to an old friend. He doesn't notice that an hour has gone by until she asks him when he's leaving. He looks at his alarm clock to see that it's almost midnight, and smiles ruefully.
In about six hours.
She doesn't reply for the longest time, and he thinks maybe she fell asleep. Maybe. It's almost one when she finally does, and he wasn't waiting or anything, he just can't sleep.
Let's go to the treehouse.
Xxx
He gets to the treehouse in record time, pulling on his clothes over his boxers and making a beeline for the back door. He notices the faint light coming from the tree, and his heart drums against his chest. Which is, you know, ridiculous. Because this is Rachel. He ignores Kurt's voice at the back of his head telling him that he's flirting, and climbs up the rickety steps.
She's sitting at the far end of the treehouse, which isn't that far to be honest, because they're both technically too big now to fit in it together. A flashlight is on the floor in front of her, and when the floors creak under his weight, she whips it up and aims it at him.
"Finn?" she asks, her voice slightly alarmed.
"Yeah," he says out loud. "It's me."
"Oh. Good." She waits for him to climb in, and at this point, he can't really stand up here anymore, so he crawls on all fours until he reaches her. She's sitting with her legs pulled up in front of her, in her shorts and a cardigan, and he shoots her a quick smile when their eyes meet. The treehouse is basically at full capacity right now, his legs are basically hanging out the door because they're too long to stay inside. It's incredibly hard to hold his body so he doesn't bump into her.
"Uh, hi," he murmurs once he stops fidgeting. In the faint light, he sees her face break out into a small smile.
"Hi," she whispers back. It's so late and so completely silent, and all he hears is the sound of their breathing, and suddenly this treehouse feels even smaller than it is.
"How was um- how was your date?" he finally asks. She looks away, playing with the frayed edge of her cardigan. His eyes follow her fingers, focusing on the pink wool and refusing to look down at her legs or that really low cut of her tank top.
"It was okay, I guess," she mumbles. The fabric rises and falls with every word. "He- he took me to Breadstix."
"Well, that's pretty classy," he jokes quietly, finally looking up. She smiles.
"His name is Sam, and he's a new kid at school."
"So you really like him?" he asks nonchalantly. She stares at symbols on his shirt and shrugs.
"He really likes me," she answers a little doubtfully. "At least, that's what Kurt says."
"Well he did just take you to Breadstix."
"Yeah, yeah I know. He's sweet, and funny, and really nice."
He helped Teddy to move his chest of toy soldiers up here earlier, and he notices that it's digging into her back, and he wonders if maybe she's trying hard not to bump into him too.
"But?" he asks. She looks at him.
"But what?"
"It just sounds like there's a but coming," he answers, shrugging.
"There's no- there's no but."
"Oh."
"I mean, he likes me, you know? So why would there be a but? He's trying out for the football team. He's really good. I mean, I've seen him throw a football around with Blaine. Not, that I know how the game goes, but he- he throws well."
"Oh. Well, good."
"Yes. He's very good. And- and it's senior year, you know. Prom is coming up. And it's- it's fun, right? Dating? I mean, I only ever had Jesse to compare it with, and that was kind of a disaster but-"
"It's fun," he agrees, cutting off her rambling. She turns to look at him, nodding stiffly, and well, she looks kind of cute doing that, you know? She's kind of cute.
"You're laughing at me," she mumbles, blushing when he laughs.
"I'm not," he says quickly. "I swear. It's just- okay, I am, but it's funny."
"My predicament is funny?" she asks, insulted. He grins.
"No," he corrects her. "You are. You're a funny girl, Rachel Berry. It's a good thing. I mean, I like it."
"You do?"
"Yeah."
"Oh."
It's awkward again, and he wonders how many minutes have passed by. It kind of feels like it's been hours.
"Kurt says that I shoud have a boyrfriend. He said that it's senior year, you know, and that I should have fun."
"You should."
"Get a boyfriend?"
"No, no. I mean have fun. And- and that too, if you want one."
She makes an angry sound at the back of her throat, and he looks up to find her eyes narrowed.
"He told me to make the first move, and then he set me up behind my back," she mutters furiously, and Finn's not sure if he's supposed to hear this.
"Yeah, he's kind of nosy like that," he says, nodding. "Back before our parents dated, he used to get Burt to talk to my mom by pretending to be sick all the time. She was the school nurse."
"He did?"
"Yup. And well, they ended up married, so I guess that's a good thing."
"Are you saying that Kurt is possibly setting me up with my future husband?"
"No. I just mean that he likes to butt into people's business-"
"Like, all the time."
"But he means well, and- and sometimes it works out. Of course, he was also the dude who sent like, pictures of me 'modeling' to a bunch of agencies when I was sixteen, and I still haven't heard from one of them. So he's not always right. It really messed with my self-esteem."
"I remember that!" she exclaims, laughing at the pout on his face.
"That stays a secret between the three of us," he threatens mockingly. She giggles.
"The secret is still safe with me," she promises with a grin. They've both relaxed their postures, and her head is on his shoulder by this point, and maybe the cramped space isn't so bad.
"He says that I should try making the first move," she tells him suddenly.
"With Sam?"
"With any guy I'm interested in."
"And is there anyone?"
She doesn't say anything, but she leans forward to take her flashlight, playfully shining it in his face before she shrugs.
"There is one," she says slowly. He smiles at her, and it feels more like a grimace for some reason.
"Then make your move."
Xxx
They leave the treehouse when it's almost four in the morning. She has school in a few hours, and well, he has a long drive back to campus and needs an early start on the coffee. He climbs down first, standing by the tree as she goes next, carefully holding her by the waist to help her down.
"Thanks," she murmurs when her feet touch the grass.
"No problem."
They stand close together, her large brown eyes fluttering up at him, and he pulls her into a hug, wrapping his arms around her. She freezes for just a second before her arms wind around his waist.
"I really did miss you, you know," she mumbles into his shirt. "While you were gone."
"Well it won't be another year before I come back," he tells her. "I mean, I promised mom I'll come home more."
"Good."
She smells like apples, and vanilla, he never noticed that before. He pulls away, smiling down at her.
"I guess we'll see each other sooner than you thought," he says. She smiles.
"I guess so. Goodnight, Finn."
"Night, Rach."
He watches as she turns, walks straight and crosses into her own yard, until she's safe inside her house, before he turns back to his. His head is full tonight as he thinks of her, and- well maybe Kurt was right. He was flirting with his brother's bestfriend. And he liked it. A lot. He likes her a lot. He's not sure when things changed, or how it could change so quickly, but she's funny, and sweet, and she's beautiful and he- well, he likes her.
He- someone taps him on the back and he almost jumps out of his skin. He whips around to find Rachel standing nervously behind him.
"You scared me," he hisses, his heartbeat receding at the sight of her. She looks apologetic, but like she's trying not to laugh, and he pretends to glare at her but it only makes her giggle. "What?" he finally asks, his face breaking into a grin.
She smiles, moves a little bit closer, and suddenly it's hard for him to breathe. There's a determined look on her face, one that he's seen many, many times, but never aimed at him. He knows what's happening, like he's not dumb, but he can't seem to make himself move when she leans up on her tiptoes. Her arms reach out to pull him down by the shoulders, and the next thing he knows-
Well. He's kissing Rachel Berry.
Her lips are soft and warm, and eager, her fingers combing through his hair when he finally pulls her close. One of his hands is pulling her face towards him, the other beneath her tank top, on the hot skin of her back as he pulls her up and kisses her deeper. His tongue is in her mouth, and her legs are clamped around his waist, and he's not sure how that happened, but he's not complaining. She lets out a little squeak when her back hits his door, and that's when he pulls away.
"I-" he pants, breathless. His grip on her is tight, his fingers digging into her waist. Her lips are swollen, her hair disheveled, but her smile is the brightest that he's ever seen.
"I just made the first move," she tells him proudly, and he bursts out laughing.
Xxx
He comes home at least once a month, and his mom is only suspicious for the first three months, until she catches them in the basement one day, and you know, he's too old to be grounded, but Rachel didn't come over for the whole weekend. Over time, she learns to be grateful about it, because he's home a lot. Teddy's ecstatic, of course.
They've been trying to hide it from Kurt, but he's been trying to get Rachel to start dating, and well, Finn's really not okay with that.
"We should just tell him," he mutters. They're in her room, and Rachel's trapped into another double date with Kurt tonight, and he really, really just wants to spend what little time he has with his girlfriend, you know? He has to go back to campus the next day because he has a quiz on Monday, and he's not down with having his girlfriend out on a date during his weekend home.
"You know he's going to freak out," she murmurs against his neck. Rachel is straddling him in her underwear, and talking about Kurt is the last thing he wants to do, and like, talking is the last thing he wants to do, but she's just- she's not going on this date tonight, okay?
"He'll freak out even if we wait a hundred years," he points out.
"Yeah, but if we wait until high school's over, I won't have to listen to him bitch about it every day at school."
"But-"
"Baby," she mumbles, leaning forward to kiss him on the lips. "I don't want to spend our time talking, do you?"
She flutters her eyelashes at him, giving him this totally coy look, and he grins as he flips them around. She grins when her back hits the bed, laughing when he blows a raspberry against her neck.
"Finn!" she groans, her laughter contagious. "Stop that!"
They're a little too preoccupied to notice the knob turning, or the gasp that followed, and it isn't until Rachel finally pushes him off that he sees Kurt standing in the doorway, his face a million shades of purple.
"Finn!" Kurt yells, his voice the shrillest they've ever heard. "I told you not to flirt with my bestfriend!"