Thanks for the feedback guys. Enjoy (as much as the average Faberry shipper can enjoy reading Finn's thoughts.)

Yesterday had been a really weird day.

So, Quinn's little 'I'm selfish' speech had been weird, he guesses, because it clearly wasn't Quinn's fault that some truck had tried to go through the side of her. But he'd mainly just been confused about why Brittany had been so certain that Quinn was talking about shell-fish, because he knows Brittany's sometimes not on this planet but she isn't that dumb.

But then, when he had gone to see Puck afterwards, mainly to ask him if he thought Finn had played it cool enough around Rachel, Puck had only wanted to know if Quinn had said anything unusual. And then when Finn had mentioned all the selfish stuff, Puck had done a lot of talking about how it probably wasn't what he thought it was.

Finn hadn't really thought about what he thought it was, up until that point, but had done a lot of thinking about what it could mean, on the drive back home.

By the time he'd gotten into his room, he had his suspicions. And when he'd called Santana, the catch in the girl's voice told him that this was a situation where two and two are definitely equalling four, no two ways about it.

Quinn had wanted to stop the wedding.

And, after a hell of a lot of staring at the ceiling Finn realized why, lying in his bed one inconsequential Saturday night.

It was the only possible explanation.

Quinn Fabray was still in love with him.

He spends a lot of the next morning looking at himself in the mirror.

Finn does some of his best thinking here. It was here that he thought up the name Drizzle, which he still maintains is a quality name and would have given Quinn's kid instant credibility in the hip hop scene.

Plus, sometimes sorting out his hair is like meditation. Like those dudes who keep bonsai trees, and meditate while clipping at them.

He's not got to sort out his hair to date levels of tidy, because Rachel's not available, what with her deciding that they're over again, which is a wound that still hurts but he can't seem to stop poking at it. It's Sunday, which is his do nothing day, but Puck's decided on a bro-day out, which basically means lie about in Puck's back yard and drink.

He'd been pretty angry last night. He probably shouldn't have yelled at Santana like that. It's just... he feels like everyone is treating him like he is five years younger than everybody else, and keeping secrets from him is a totally normal thing to do. Like instead of just telling him that his hamster has died, they all pretend it has gone to a zoo on the other side of the country.

Finn re-adjusts some stray hair and then breaths in deeply through his nose, trying to do the thing Burt has taught him to do when he feels himself getting angry.

Focus on their side of the story. Nobody he knows is actually nasty, not really, so they must have their reasons for not telling him about Quinn's feelings for him.

He'd been stressed, and really bummed out over Rachel chucking him. Puck probably didn't want to throw a curve-ball at him so soon.

Santana and Brittany were Quinn's henchmen. So if they hadn't mentioned it, it'll be because Quinn had told them not to. Because Quinn didn't want him to know yet, because she felt bad that the wedding was off.

There. That wasn't so hard.

He still wants Rachel, he decides on the drive over to Puck's. He's way too into her to suddenly switch sides the second he finds out Quinn is in love with him. Again.

That's not to say it isn't doing wonders for his self-esteem, today. Finn flicks on the radio in his car, and sings along to the first song he recognises, drumming out the beat on the top of his steering wheel. By the time he gets to Puck's, case of beers under one arm, he's decided things are looking up.

The last time Quinn had wanted him back, it'd had somehow eventually made Rachel want him more. He doesn't understand the science behind it, but maybe things will work themselves to a similar conclusion.

Puck's already in the back yard, and yells for Finn to use the latch on the side gate to let himself in. Finn does as he's told, and he wasn't expecting Sam to be here, or Mike, or Artie.

'Oh, hey guys. Dunno if I have enough beers now.'

Puck waves him over from his spot on a sun lounger, where he's arranged himself so that his feet are resting where the head should go, and his head is dangling off the end. Finn pokes him with a toe when he reaches him.

'That comfy?'

'Not really, just fighting the norms of society. You know. The usual. Bros are here for a bro council. A council of bro. A bro-tervention. A... Sam, what was the one you said?'

Sam squints against the sun, and then points a vague finger at the sky.

'The Broracle. It's like the Oracle, but formed entirely of bros. Our whole is greater than the sum of our parts. We're like Transformers.'

Artie thumps a fist to his chest and solemnly announces 'Robots in disguise.' Mike leans over to high-five him, but can't quite reach and so just high-fives one of Artie's wheels, before pulling a few robot moves from his position on the ground, and oh. Finn sees what's going on here.

'Dude. Other dudes. How long have you been drinking?'

Sam stumbles to his feet, and removes the beers from under Finn's arm.

'Time has ceased to have any meaning. There is only now, and the choices we choose to take. So, Finn, you need to choose to get caught up. Alcohol will numb the pain.'

Pain? Finn thinks Sam might be talking about the whole Rachel leaving him situation, but that was like a week ago. The brotherhood of bro is a bit late. He pokes at Puck again.

'What?'

Puck frowns at him, and holds up a hand to try and shade his eyes.

'You know. Like, the whole... Quinn being selfish stuff. That shit. Santana rang me last night after you'd called her. Said you'd probably figured it out. So I thought, meet the pain head on, council of bro, we talk shit about everyone involved, move on.'

Huh. Puck has told Sam, Artie and Mike about Quinn's feelings about him. That seems... surprisingly disloyal of him, but at least if Puck's the one who's done the telling, Finn can bask in the glory guilt free. Finn takes the proffered bottle of beer from Sam's hand, and sits on an up-ended planter.

'Oh, right. Well, planning to stop the wedding was pretty crappy of her, not going to lie. But like, it's hard to be angry, I guess. She can't help her feelings.'

Mike gives him what feels like a supportive ankle squeeze from his position on the ground, and Artie tips his sunglasses at him.

'Dude. You are like, way mature about this. You are a hero. A shining beacon of light, for lesser dudes to follow.'

Finn shrugs his shoulders, but yeah. He guesses he kind of is. Emboldened, he takes a good couple of gulps, and laughs.

'Besides, they just seem to keep on coming back for more. I must be irresistible. Lady kryptonite.'

Puck's looking at him really weird. Maybe he doesn't know what kryptonite is.

'Uh, Finn? What are you talking about?'

'Quinn. Being in love with me again. It's kind of obvious, now I think about it. Telling Rachel not to marry me, singing that song to me, suddenly desperate to get to the wedding, just so she can stop it. She can't help it, clearly. I'm not going to hold it against her.'

They're all looking at him now, with really strange expressions on their faces, and wow, maybe he is being incredibly awesome about this, these guys just can't even process how chilled he is.

After a moment's pause, Mike breaks the silence by starting a really slow round of applause, which Artie and Sam join after the first three claps. Puck just groans and clutches both hands to his face.

Hangover must be kicking in early for him.

Oh man. Being leader of the dudes is excellent. They all keep bringing him drinks and calling him 'His Royal Dude-ness', and laughing at all the jokes he is making, and man, he really needs to start writing some of these lines down, he's clearly hit a rich comedic vein.

'Puck. Puck. You jealous? You not jealous, no? My heart is for Rachel, yeah? Even if Quinn wants the Finnceptor back, I'm not biting, she's all yours.'

The only downside of this afternoon is that Puck's hit his grumpy drunk phase.

'Finn. Seriously. I don't want Quinn. And I'm pretty sure she won't want you offering her up like that.'

Oh, whatever. He was just being friendly to his subjects, but clearly Puck's a bit touchy about this, so he'll be a good bro and drop it. Sam necks half his bottle, and punches Finn on the arm, kind of hard, really.

'Finnceptor? Finnception, maybe. Dream land.'

Finn laughs, because Finnception would be an awesome title for a movie about him.

'Yeaaah. Feeling that. Oh! Sam, Mike, do you think I look like a tree? Quinn called me a tree, yesterday.'

Mike chokes at bit on the mouthful of food he had just been swallowing, and Sam smacks him on the back a bit before speaking.

'A tree? Uh. Maybe? You're tall enough? If you fall in the forest when there is no-one around, do you make a sound?'

Finn shakes his head, hard.

'Nuh uh, my pain thresh hold is super human. Crying is for pussies.'

Artie wheels past him, shaking his head.

'This is awesome. This is way too awesome for words.'

Finn nods, because it sort of is, hanging out and being awesome with bros. Sam scratches at the back of his head.

'Well... maybe you're like an Ent. They're those tree things in Lord of the Rings that are a bit slow, they process things about ten times slower than anyone else, but they're really hard to kill. Their HP is through the roof.'

Puck flicks a beer cap at Sam, but Finn's okay with this. He's never claimed to be a genius, but being a tree that is impossible to kill sounds like an analogy that he can work with.

'Cool, cool, I can deal with that. And...uh, what's Rachel? Out of interest. I'm totally over her.'

Puck snorts, and Mike pipes up.

'Hobbit. Right, Sam?'

Sam nods.

'Right. Loyal, determined, capable of overcoming almost any obstacle placed in front of them, if the goal is worth it.'

That sounds...okay. Rachel would like that description. A thought strikes him.

'What's a hobbit's HP? Am I, like, more powerful than her?'

Sam blinks really carefully at him, and then nods.

'Speaking purely from a HP perspective, then yes, you are more powerful.'

'Awesome.'

That means he has to protect her. He's okay with that. Finn leans backwards, trying to catch more of the sun, until he gives up and gets off the wall he'd been perched on, and lies down.

He's kind of tired now. Being leader of the bro-team is hard work. He might just close his eyes for a bit. Just to block out the sun.

Sam's talking again.

'Now Quinn. She's like an elf. Freakishly good at stuff. Vaguely superior to the rest of humanity. Immortal. Impossible to not be a little bit in love with.'

Artie chimes in.

'Once in love doesn't fall out of it, no matter what.'

Mike laughs a bit.

'Anyone seen Quinn with a bow and arrow?'

Oh, jeez. They're all so drunk.

He's not comfortable, exactly, but he is asleep, and so doesn't need a foot digging into his side.

Finn grumbles, and tries to turn over, but he's met with a face full of grass and a harder kick.

'Finnception. Get up. Mom said that I shouldn't have let you just sleep, your face will be burnt.'

His face does feel a bit hot, actually. Finn levers himself up, and looks blearily around at Puck's back yard. The sun is setting.

'Where are the others?'

Puck stretches, and then scratches at his belly vaguely.

'Gone. Went a couple of hours ago. Time for you to go too. You're beyond my help.'

Finn drags himself upright, and whoa. Whoa.

'How much did I drink?'

Puck gives him the once over, and then claps a hand to his shoulder.

'Think it was the speed of drink that did you. You tried to catch up, but when you did you just stayed in the fast lane. Maybe walk home, dude. Leave your car here, it'll be alright. Walk it off.'

Finn shakes a leg gently, trying to get some feeling back into his butt. He's in that weird twilight zone between not really being that drunk anymore, but not yet reached full blown hang-over.

'Yeah. I'll walk. Actually...' a thought strikes him '...maybe I'll stop by at Quinn's? It isn't that far off route. That way things can be gotten out into the open, yeah? What do you think?'

Puck frowns at him, and then rubs a hand over his face.

'Yeah. Whatever. Might be for the best. Hopefully Quinn will straighten things out for you, fuck knows I don't seem up to it.'

Finn isn't totally sure what Puck's on about, but a yes is a yes, so Finn grins at him.

'Awesome. Plan. You're a really good friend, Puck, you know that? Really good.'

Puck grimaces at him a bit, and then punches him on the shoulder.

'Time will tell. Call me, yeah. Like, if you need anything, or whatever.'

Finn sticks a hand up in the air in response, but he's off, he's got some ground to cover if he's going to get home before the hangover kicks in.

Quinn's mom answers the door. Quick, smart face.

'Evening Mrs Fabray.'

You'd think he'd have a natural advantage over Puck, what with him being the one who didn't impregnate her daughter.

But regardless, all his cheery greeting is met with is a look that reminds him a lot of his mom's face when one of the cats brings in a dead mouse. Which is a bit unfair, when he compares it to the friendly little chat he saw Puck and Quinn's mom have yesterday.

'Is Quinn in?'

Quinn's mom blinks at him a bit, and his brain catches up with his mouth, and oh yeah. Of course she's going to be in.

'I mean, I was hoping to come visit her?'

Quinn's mom steps to one side, and waves him in.

'Goodness knows I'm not her keeper. She'll tell you, no doubt, whether she wants to see you.'

Finn nods a cautious thanks at her, and reminds himself that he isn't here to gloat, or to raise Quinn's hopes, or whatever. Thank her for her interest, and let her down gently. Easy.

Quinn frowns at him really hard, and maybe the emotions are a bit raw for her to deal with at the moment, but no helping that now.

'What's happened to your face?'

He touches his nose automatically, and ow, okay, he must be really burnt.

'Oh, umm, been out in the sun a bit today, with Puck. Uh. How are you?'

Quinn rolls her eyes, and goes back to the cell phone in her right hand.

'Dandy. Just great. Trying to clear up the mess Santana created yesterday, by inviting around a massive audience to watch me make a fool of myself.'

Finn shrugs a bit, and then flexes his shoulder joint around, trying to work out some of the stiffness developed through napping on the ground.

'Nah, your mom invited me and Puck around. Well, she asked Puck if he could come help and bring a friend, and he brought me. Anyway, it is no big deal. I don't mind that you were acting a little crazy.'

Quinn pretty much just punches him in the face with a glare, and that'll be why maybe he and Quinn aren't super compatible. She terrifies him.

'Why on earth do you think that you are the important person in all this? And, while I'm on the subject, why are you here? I have no bulky furniture that needs moving.'

Don't panic. Don't panic.

'Well, uh, I thought you might want a visit. Because, um, I know we haven't been that close recently, but we've always been around each other, and so I guess there are certain emotions that...'

Quinn, without removing her gaze from the phone on her lap, holds up a hand to stop him, and he abruptly runs out of consonants.

'Finn. Be useful. I cannot believe I am about to ask you this, but... whenever you did something wrong with Rachel, how did you get her to forgive you?'

He's pretty damn confused about the abrupt and random line of questioning, but plays along gamely.

'Singing something at her, usually. Or telling her that I was really sorry for everything that I had done that could have possibly caused offense. Even then there was usually a twenty four hour radio silence.'

Quinn frowns at him.

'Singing something at her? Are you insane?'

Finn shrugs defensively.

'Hey, she likes singing, okay? It worked a few times.'

Quinn rolls her eyes, and goes back to her phone, and maybe this is the opportunity for the rehearsed speech he'd tried to memorize on the way over.

'Anyway. I'm just here to say that I know, okay? I know about you trying to stop the wedding, and I know your reasons why, and I am one hundred percent okay with it. Like, I still love Rachel, but in another life I think you and me probably make a really good go of it, and get to our old age without you killing me. But I don't think that'll happen in this life. But we should still be friends, okay? I still care about you.'

Oh god. Oh god. She's not taking it well. That look never signals good things. If she could walk he probably wouldn't make it out of this room alive.

Mercifully, her phone lights up, and that at least postpones the brutal murder Quinn is planning out, because she snatches it up like a life line.

It's not what she's expecting though, because her face falls, and then transforms into a look of total confusion.

'It's Puck. He says that I shouldn't explode at you, even though you are an idiot.'

Oh man. Puck might have just saved his bacon. Quinn puts the phone down, and breathes in really deeply through her nose.

'Fine. I can't be doing with all the pretence anymore, anyway, the entire thing is on the verge of blowing open, one more witness to my pathetic state is neither here nor there. Finn. Listen carefully.

He does what he is told to do, scooting closer to convey total focus. Quinn looks into his eyes.

'I was planning to stop the wedding. But not because of my feelings for you. I have no feelings for you beyond tolerance.'

Quinn sits back, clearly believing that she's made everything really clear for him, and Finn's going to need a few more clues here.

'Riiiiight. Okay, cool. No feelings for me, but you tried to stop the wedding because...'

'Because I didn't want you to end up as another statistic, mainly. And because...I couldn't not do something.'

Again, he's pretty confused.

'Yeah, going to need more here, Quinn, because I know you don't care that much about numbers so...'

Quinn's phone lights up again, just as she looks like she's about to throw it at his head, and this time is apparently is the message she wants, because her whole face relaxes and her next words are sighed rather than spoken.

'It's Rachel. I... what does I will speak to you in the morning mean?'

Oh, that one's easy.

'Just that. She'll come around, or ring you, and then list why you're a nasty person, and then if you apologise enough she'll forgive you, so I wouldn't...wait.'

Finn frowns at Quinn's phone, and then at her face, which now looks vaguely guilty. And, wait, what? This isn't... what? How is this even... what the hell?

Quinn tips her chin back, and meets him head on.

'Figured it out, have we? Good, now you can stop telling people that I'm in love with you, no doubt you've had a field day.'

What the hell?

Finn stands up really quickly, and yeah, maybe he is pretty tall, but that doesn't stop him from feeling the stupidest, smallest person alive right now.

'You were stopping the wedding because of... because of Rachel? Because of how you felt about Rachel? What the... oh god, no. What the hell?'

Quinn flares her nostrils at him, and his face is burning up now, this is all horrible, as he feels various bits of the last few weeks bounce and swirl in his mind, and click together to form a picture he'd never ever considered. Ever.

'Yes, Finn. Not that it is any of your business or impacts on your life in the slightest. I have feelings for Rachel. I'm pretty sure she doesn't return them though, so maybe we should bond over all this brand new common ground we've discovered.'

Okay, he may be the world's biggest idiot right now, but even though the fog of what feels like an actual heart attack, he can tell that Quinn is in the running for coming second.

'Are you even serious, right now? Fuck... you're the reason she's called off the entire god damn thing, Quinn! Oh god, why didn't I see this? She's been obsessed with you for forever, and suddenly you figure out how to turn on your nice setting, and suddenly...this isn't fair, Quinn! How am I supposed to keep her if she thinks you're available?'

Quinn looks a bit shocked now, either at all of the white hot truth that is spilling out of his mouth or that fact that he's shouting.

'She likes you, dammit! That's why it's over, that why she wouldn't marry me, that's why Kurt can't look at me, that's why Puck's been so weird today. She likes you, and every other fucker seems to know except me!'

Mrs Fabray's head appears around the door frame, looking alarmed, but everything's fine, he's leaving anyway, before he suffocates.

He's gone.

Finn doesn't check his cell until he's standing outside Puck's house, deciding whether to throw a shoe at Puck's window or just call him.

There's a message from Quinn.

I didn't know either. And I AM sorry, Finn.

It nearly causes him to throw his phone at Puck's window, but Puck's already opening the door, and jogging out to meet him, in sweatpants and bare feet.

'Dude. Dude.'

He's angry, he's so fucking angry.

'I get it, okay! She told me, and you all had a right fucking laugh at me today, but now I'm never going to get Rachel back, because I'm nothing, I'm nothing compared to Quinn, just a massive stupid tree who can't talk smart words and...'

Puck grips both of his arms and squashes them together, tugging Finn forward for a hug that never normally happens but Finn can't really escape from, so he just punches Puck a couple of times in the stomach before collapsing into tears that sting, actually sting.

'You know how you said once that Quinn is like a lion, really pretty to look at but fucking scary up-close?'

Finn kicks at a pebble, and watches it bounce down the street. They've been sitting out here for nearly an hour now, long enough for Finn to consider apologizing for punching Puck, because it really isn't his fault.

(He's got a sneaking suspicion that this is going to turn out to be nobody's fault. He can't tell if that is going to make it easier or harder, in the long run.)

'Yeah. Think that was when I was trying to figure out how to dump her.'

Puck nods, and throws his arms around himself briefly, clearly trying to warm himself up.

'Well. I've been thinking, since all this started going down, that Rachel's the closest thing to a lion tamer that I know. She's smart enough for her, passionate enough, brave enough, and burns bright, man. You know this. Quinn always needs to feel like she is worth something, and Rachel's the only person who has enough fire to convince Quinn that she is always worth something. It was kind of inevitable that it would end up this way. Rachel was always going to be drawn to her.'

Finn grits at his teeth, but he feels like that king now, the one who tried to hold back a tide. If Puck is backing them, then he really does need to find a different fight.

He tries though.

'But what about Rachel? Why does Quinn want Rachel so much?'

Puck squints at him, and then smacks him lightly around the head.

'Dude. You're the one that was going to marry her. You know what Rachel's got. But, I dunno. I think if Quinn is being honest, there's never been a time when Rachel hasn't be massively important to her. She showed it in some pretty fucked up ways, but it was always there, if you were looking hard enough.'

Finn looks up at the stars, or where the stars would be if the street lighting wasn't so bright.

'I can't change this, can I?'

Puck grips one of his shoulders hard, and it is the closest they ever normally come to hugging, in times when Finn doesn't feel like his world is collapsing. And maybe it isn't. Maybe it doesn't have to.

'If you want happiness for people, including yourself, in the long run, I think this is the time you back off.'

Finn runs both hands through his hair, and stands up.

'You're a good friend, Puck.'

Puck grins at him once, and slings an arm around his neck.

'You know it. Come on, stay at mine tonight. You've got some CoD stats of mine that you need to seriously improve, anyway.'

...