A/N: I would like to point out that mono is a really tricky disease with a lot of variables regarding the incubation period (usually 4-7 weeks), duration of illness (2-4 weeks), and period during which the sufferer is contagious (can be as long at 18 months). However, I am using the version of mono that exists within the gleeverse. There, apparently, you show symptoms almost immediately and are fine after several weeks. So if anyone is unhappy with my mono…yell at the writers of glee.
For her part, Santana had come and visited Rachel quite a bit. She'd helped her take showers and helped feed her. It was not as exciting as it might sound. Rachel was sick, and really weak. During the first couple days, she had sworn at Santana who just rolled her eyes at her.
"You hang out with Puck and that's the best you can do? I'm going to have to speak to your boy."
"He's…careful…around me. Finn…slips…more. Usually…if they…think…I…can't…hear." Santana just grunted and arranged Rachel in the bed.
It had been two weeks. Two really long weeks during which she had not been able to see her boys. They called her on the phone, and talked to her. They sent her emails and messages, but she couldn't see them while she was contagious. As soon as her doctor gave permission, they were on her doorstep. She was in bed because she was still incredibly weak. It was the worst feeling in the world. Even lifting her head off the pillow was exhausting. She was going to kill Santana—as soon as she could sit up without getting dizzy and passing out.
The boys bounded up the stairs and were in her room. She lay against the pillows propped at her back and watched them. They looked dismayed to see her lying in the bed.
"How are you feeling?" Finn's voice was husky and gentle.
"Like…crap." Puck grinned at her. That was their girl.
"This is a pretty elaborate plan to skip out on Valentine's Day," Puck observed. Finn nodded.
"Didn't…plan…this…part."
"We figured as much. You freaked out when you had tonsillitis and thought you had to have surgery. I can't imagine you would have gone along with Santana's plan if you'd known about the mono." Finn was right. Rachel tried to shake her head, but couldn't. She gave a sort of frustrated sigh.
"So Santana told us everything." Puck was not happy, but he was trying not to yell at Rachel. He figured she'd punished herself, especially now that he could see her. She rolled her eyes at him.
"Rachel, we are not happy right now," Finn stated it so simply, and yet Rachel seemed to flinch from him.
"Sorry…so…sorry." Tears slipped down her cheeks. She didn't try to wipe them away, and the boys realized that maybe she really couldn't. Finn grabbed a couple tissues and dabbed at her cheeks. She smiled weakly at him.
"We know you didn't mean for all this to happen, but really Rachel? Are we that awful?" Finn wanted to know. More tears slipped down her cheeks, which Finn dabbed at with tissues.
"No," she whispered, "I just…worry."
"You thought we were going to be jealous idiots." Puck wasn't asking. He made it a statement. She gave him a look. She had very expressive eyes.
"Okay, maybe it would have gone down like that," Finn conceded. He really did not want to fight with his sick girlfriend that he hadn't seen in two weeks. Puck had the grace to look embarrassed. They both knew it probably would have gone done exactly like that. She knew them both too well.
"The point is, baby girl, that we want Valentine's Day with you—and we promise to make sure that none of what you worried about will happen." Rachel's expressive eyes were hard at work. She managed to convey a welter of emotion in the glance she shot at Puck and then at Finn.
"We'll figure out the details in a couple weeks when you're better," Finn added.
*glee*
During the next couple of weeks Rachel enjoyed certain aspects of her convalescence. Finn very carefully carried her downstairs for her Friday afternoon movie. She ended up cuddled against either Finn or Puck. If one of them had to get up to get anything, they carefully propped her up against the other. It was almost like being a big doll. It was incredibly annoying to not be able to do anything herself, or to have any measure of control over her activities, but she liked being carried. It was nice to cuddle against Puck or Finn's broad chests and have their strong arms wrapped around her. Maybe she could convince them to do it when she was better.
Eventually, she was ready to go back to school. Thank god, she'd kept up on all her studies, which she supposed was one of the only advantages to being intelligent in high school. Puck and Finn kept an eye on her, but aside from being a little weak still—she was fine. She used this as a shameless excuse to hang on either Puck or Finn's arm as she walked down the hall. Puck didn't have the heart to call her on it when her little arm was linked through his, and she sort of cuddled against him while at the same time managing to look weak and vaguely ill. Finn just enjoyed it. He liked being able to walk the halls of McKinley with his girl on his arm.
"Try not to look so smug, baby," Rachel muttered at him out of the corner of her mouth.
"What?" He leaned down towards her to better hear what she was trying to whisper.
"Stop grinning like that. You look proud, smug, all together too much like you're showing me off." Finn frowned.
"Sorry."
"Better. Let's get to the cafeteria before I pass out in the hall." Finn got a slightly panicked expression.
"Are you serious?"
"I feel dizzy," she muttered faintly. Finn scooped her up in his arms and continued walking down the hall. She hit him on the shoulder and he frowned at her. Not because she hit him, he usually thought that was kind of cute—no it was because it wasn't nearly as hard as she normally hit him.
"Finn," she protested weakly. Then she just sort of lay against his chest and didn't say anything. Well, crap. He got to the cafeteria and drew quite a few looks, which he ignored completely. He didn't give a crap what anyone else thought. Puck was already sitting at their table. He glanced their way because everyone else was, but when he saw Rachel in Finn's arms he stood up.
"What's wrong with her?"
"I'm not sure. She got dizzy in the hall." The boys were so focused on Rachel they didn't notice Santana come up next to them.
"She's just weak from the mono. She probably needs to lie down for a little bit. Take her to the nurse's office." Finn nodded and headed off to the nurse's office with Rachel in his arms and Puck next to him. The nurse let Rachel rest on the cot in her office for lunch and the next two periods. By then, Rachel was feeling better and insisted on going to glee.
Puck carried her to glee, despite Rachel's protests and held her on his lap. She didn't even try to get off of his lap after the glare he gave her.
"Don't even think about it, shorty."
She tried to pay attention to Mr. Schue, but she must have fallen asleep part way through the class. Puck shook her gently, and when she woke up it was just the three of them in the choir room.
"C'mon Rach, we're taking you home. I've already called your dads."
Finn drove her home, and Puck followed in Rachel's car. It seemed the smartest way because there was no way in hell Finn could fold up his long legs and squeeze into her car. When they got to her house, they got her upstairs, stripped her down—against her wishes—and put her in her pajamas. They tucked her into bed and Puck brought her some soup and made her drink it out of a mug. By the time she was done she was exhausted again. They both kissed her on the forehead and left.
It took a while for Rachel to really feel like herself again. She had dismissed Valentine's Day from her mind because it was almost April. Her dads were gone for the weekend and all she was really thinking about was lying around and being completely lazy. When she got home, she realized that wasn't going to be happening. There were softly lit candles all over the place. Her romantic music was drifting out from the living room. Her boys were both standing there waiting for her. She blinked at them. They were both dressed in tuxedos. Where on earth had they gotten those? Especially tuxes that would fit Puck in the shoulders and Finn—well…in general. They came forward and each took a hand. They led her into the living room, where the coffee table held a small pile of boxes. Rachel's jaw dropped.
"What is all this?"
"Happy Valentine's Day," they chorused at her with proud grins. She felt somewhat weak in the knees. They saw her wobble a little and they both put an arm around her to steady her. They sat her down on the couch and Puck handed her a box.
"You should know that every single thing here was picked out by the both of us together." She smiled at them both and carefully undid the wrapping paper. It was a box of vegan chocolate hearts. She kissed them each on the cheek.
"Thank you. These are my favorites," she smiled at them shyly. Finn handed her the next box, which was small and flat. She frowned to herself as she opened it, and then squealed in pleasure. Inside were three tickets to a local production of Bizet's "Carmen". She hadn't really mentioned the opera to the boys because she figured they would rather eat glass than go with her. She threw her arms around each boy's neck and kissed each hard on the mouth.
"So you like that okay?" Puck hadn't been sure she would even like "Carmen", but he knew she loved the arts.
"Oh, yes! Oh, thank you both so much!" She was grinning widely and clutching the tickets to her chest. Finn gently took them from her and put them back in their box. Puck thrust another box at her. This one was larger. She carefully opened the box and pulled out a stuffed Eeyore that was large enough to hold in her arms and rest her head on.
"Oooh! He's so cute! I love him." She hugged her Eeyore to her.
"He kind of reminded us of you…because sometimes people don't notice how awesome you are." Finn offered this with a sweet, earnest expression on his face. She touched his cheek lightly with her fingertips. She kissed him and then kissed Puck.
"You guys really thought that much about every single thing you got me?" Her voice was tinged with awe. They moved in closer and cuddled her between them. She received a couple gentle kisses on her cheeks and forehead.
"We wanted to make this a good experience for you, shorty," Puck murmured into her temple, "cuz we plan on being around for more of these in the future, and we'd really like to avoid you shooting yourself in the foot." She hit him in the chest.
Finn handed her the next box. It was small and flat. More tickets? If her boys were willing to sit through two different performances for her…that was true love. She was smiling to herself as she lifted the lid and then she gasped.
"Oh my god…" Nestled in the box was a beautiful gold necklace with three interlocking hearts. She didn't realize she was crying until Finn handed her tissues. She scrubbed at her cheeks.
"Do you hate it," Finn asked anxiously.
"No! No, I love it," she choked out. Puck gently took it out of the box and fastened it around her neck. She touched it with her fingertips and smiled at both boys. She flung her arms around Puck's neck and kissed him again. This time however, her little teeth were nibbling on his lower lip and her tongue was licking that same lower lip. His arms came around her and he kissed her back willingly. He hadn't really kissed her like this in…well…god it really didn't bear thinking about. She broke the kiss off sooner than he would have liked and then she attacked Finn. She pulled him to her and began kissing him just as passionately as she'd kissed Puck. Both boys sat back on the couch, slightly out of breath. Their girl looked happy and sort of glowing. She was smiling that smile that lit up her whole face.
"Thank you both. I was worried, but you two are the best, the most wonderful boyfriends ever. I love you."
"Wait, shorty, it gets better." Puck was grinning at her. It wasn't quite a smirk, but he was obviously proud of himself for something. They led her into the dining room where they'd made her dinner. It was a vegetable curry and it was delicious. When she was just about done, Puck stood up kissed her on the cheek and went upstairs. Rachel turned and looked at Finn. He shrugged and gave her his half smile.
"It's a surprise, you know?" Finn took all the dishes into the kitchen, rinsed them, and put them in the dishwasher. Then he came out and scooped Rachel up his arms. As being carried up to her room by a beautiful boy in a tux wasn't exactly a horrible thing, Rachel just shut up and enjoyed it.
Finn carried her straight into her bathroom, where Puck had readied a bubble bath. The boys carefully stripped her down and put her in the tub. The water was hot, just like she liked it. She laid in the tub and just enjoyed it. After a little while, the boys came and checked on her. They'd changed out of the tuxes, which made complete sense when they knelt by the tub and began washing her. Finn scrubbed her back while Puck efficiently scrubbed her legs and tried to do her feet. She squealed and moved away. She stood up in the tub and the boys just sat back on their heels and stared at her. Water droplets and bubbles were clinging to her gold skin. Finn' s mouth was dry. Puck's tongue seemed stuck to the roof of his mouth. She carefully stepped out of the tub and grabbed a towel.
Rachel moved out to her bedroom and then glanced back at her boys who seemed frozen.
"Noah? Finn? Boys?" They turned and stared at her standing in her room with just a towel clutched to her chest. The necklace they'd given her was around her neck and they could see bubbles clinging to her legs. They stood and came to stand in front of her. She bit her lower lip and returned their gaze. Their eyes had that look. She knew that look. She hadn't seen it in quite some time—she'd been too sick and her boys weren't completely heartless. She could feel herself grow wet under their heated gaze.
Puck reached out and stroked Rachel's cheek with the back of his hand. She leaned against his hand. Her towel slipped and she stood there before them, completely naked and completely vulnerable. Finn's fingertips lightly traced her collarbone. His thumb stroked her shoulder. The boys both leaned toward her at the same time. Puck, standing in front of her, kissed her, his tongue sliding into her mouth. Finn was standing behind her, his muscled chest pressed against her back. He nipped her neck and kissed his way down her shoulder. One hand had come up and was gently teasing her nipple to hardness. She moaned into Puck's mouth.
They moved toward the bed because they figured that would be the safest place for Rachel to be. She settled back on the pillows and they lay down on either side of her. They both tried for gentleness, but occasionally failed because it had been a long, long time since they'd been with their girl. She wasn't really in a gentle mood anyway. She'd missed her boys a lot, and she needed them. In fact, they all came embarrassingly fast the first time. Rachel blushed and hid her head. Puck laughed at her and Finn kissed her shoulder.
"Baby girl, we're not going anywhere so you might as well come out."
"Rach, I am the last person in the world who would give you crap for this." Finn had actually held out longer than either of them. The irony was not lost on Puck.
They took it a little slower the second time. The boys were everywhere at once. It was crazy and perfect and just the way it worked for them. Somehow, they figured out how to make it work and they took Rachel along for the ride. For her part, her little hands wandered everywhere. At one point, Puck was pounding into her mercilessly and suckling at a breast, while she had her little fingers wrapped around Finn and her tongue down his throat. Later, Finn was buried in her up to the hilt and biting the spot where her neck and shoulder joined while Rachel was busy wrapping her lips around Puck.
Rachel woke up later than usual the next morning, but she'd had a long night. She grinned to herself. Finn and Puck were both wrapped around her. She wriggled in her spot and enjoyed being snuggled between them. Finn gave a sort of sleepy grumble and his hand moved up to cup a breast. She turned toward him and kissed his jaw. He blinked at her a couple times and then smiled.
"Hi." She smiled back.
"Hi." He leaned towards her and kissed her lightly on the lips.
"I probably should brush my teeth." Rachel sighed and nodded. She glanced back at Puck, who was still dead to the world. She shrugged and headed to the bathroom. She took a shower with Finn, which degenerated into him taking her in the shower. She couldn't scream very well in the shower because her mouth kept filling up with water so she settled for biting Finn's shoulder. His moan into her neck let her know he liked what she was doing. They eventually got clean, and got out of the shower. They both brushed their teeth and headed downstairs. Rachel made vegan pancakes, which Finn thought were actually pretty good. You couldn't hardly tell they weren't normal pancakes. She glanced at Finn. He watched her fingers touch the necklace and he smiled at her.
"See, we didn't do such a terrible job."
"No, you did everything perfectly. Everything."
*glee*
