13:57
A/N: May I just point out, by the way: totally called the whole Kurt / Blaine competitive issue (in which Blaine wins because. . .um. . .he's super hot, and Kurt, while awesome, needs to either learn some versatility or become a character actor). A bit nervous for episode 5, and stoked for episode 3 (more Mike Chang? Yes, please!)
Christmas is totally the best time of the year. Thanksgiving is pretty cool, with all the food, but Christmas is the exact same thing, only with presents, too. And it means that Rachel will be back for three whole weeks, and she'll probably even let him get some sideboob action in.
Kurt's back, too, which is kind of cool. Finn's been coming home about every other week since school started, partly because he missed his mom (and her cooking) and partly because he kept running out of clean clothes and he couldn't figure out how to make the washing machines work.
On the other hand. . . he's home for almost a month. His mom is going to want to talk to him about school, about his decisions now that the football scholarship is out of the question, about his major, about. . .about his future. Finn's not entirely certain that he's ready to have that discussion. He thinks that he knows what he's going to do, but. . .he kind of wants to talk it out with someone before telling his Mom. Or telling Rachel, for that matter, because she might freak out even more than his mom. He could talk to Burt. Yeah, that's a great idea. Burt's cool, he'll just grunt and then hand over a beer.
Except. . .Finn frowns. Except that at night he'll mention it to his mom, casually, and then she'll come barging in to Finn's room, and he'll probably have his hand under Rachel's shirt, and it will be Babygate all over again except with a baby.
So Burt's out of the question. And Kurt's out of the question, because ever since senior year, he and Rachel have been glued to one another's side. Finn would be kind of jealous, except. . .yeah, Kurt's gay. Like, really, really gay.
So Finn is sitting there in the kitchen, staring morosely at his grilled cheese sandwich (he doesn't want to tell his mom, but he's pretty sure that the grilled cheese tastes better when made with the girl next door's iron) when the door opens.
"Hey, kiddo," Burt says, walking in, and only raising an eyebrow when he sees his stepson staring at a sandwich. "Whatcha doin'?"
"Eating a sandwich," Finn sighs. "How's work?"
"Slow," Burt grumps, heading to the fridge and pulling out some weird health smoothie Kurt's recently bought. "Having you boys home is nice," he mutters, staring dubiously at the drink, "but I'm gonna miss real food for the next few weeks."
"Yeah," Finn sighs. "Me, too."
Burt pats him consolingly on the shoulder before shuffling off to the other room. Finn just sighs and takes a huge bite of his sandwich.
He is filled with ennuey.
"Finn, what are you eating?"
"Gri'ed chee' samich," Finn mutters, his mouth filled with gooey, delicious cheese. Kurt wrinkles his nose.
"Don't talk with your mouth full," he says. "I know that Carole taught you better."
Finn's mouth drops open and Kurt makes another disgusted noise, throwing his hands up in the air. "You a'ked me a queshtion," Finn mutters. He wiggles his tongue around in his mouth, trying to pull some of the cheese out of his molars.
"Whatever," Kurt grouses. "Listen, Blaine's supposed to come over within the hour, but I have to run to Rachel's. I just spoke with her about what she's wearing on your reunion date and. . .well, it's simply unacceptable. Just tell Blaine that I'll be back soon, okay?"
"Kay," Finn says. This time he remembers to answer before stuffing the rest of the sandwich in his mouth. Sweet. Totally ate that thing in two bites. He's gonna have to tell Puck – they've been having a competition all semester to find out who can stuff the most food in his mouth.
Puck wins at meatballs and marshmallows, but Finn's got him totally beat at mac n' cheese and dinosaur-shaped chicken nuggets.
"Absolutely disgusting," Kurt mutters, grabbing his jacket and a scarf. "Honestly, I don't see what Rachel sees in you."
Finn smiles (disleggingly, he thinks). "Probably the same thing you did," he teases. Kurt freezes for a moment, his face going pale.
"We agreed that is the time never to be spoken of," he says, voice deadly serious, before pirouetting and prancing out the front door. Finn chuckles and heads to the sink to wash his dishes. Kurt's fun to have around, when he's freaking out about things.
He heads into the living room, and turns on ESPN. They're talking about the Rose Bowl, of course, and National Championships. . .Finn's heart seizes, a little. OSU is going ot the Rose Bowl. He's supposed to join the team the day after Christmas, to fly down to California with them, but. . .is it really worth it? The doctor's have said it's hopeless. He can play again, but he'll never be really good. He won't ever be able to pivot in that same way, won't be able to duck under passes and dodge around blitzes.
And he's scared. It had hurt – hurt so much, that injury, and the physical therapy isn't much fun, either. He's not sure he'll ever be able to face 300 pound linebackers again without a jolt of fear going straight up his spine, and. . .
So yeah. He's not really a part of the Buckeyes, anymore. He wants to support the guys, sure, but it hurts so, so much that he won't be part of the team anymore. Another thing that he can't tell anyone about, because Kurt won't understand, and Mom and Rachel will just make weird clucking noises, and Burt will grunt uncomfortably. . .
Finn kind of really misses Quinn right now. Sure, she'd been a bitch both times that they'd dated, ore focused on herself than her boyfriend, but she'd listened, and usually knew the right thing to say. Or at least. . .knew how to say things that helped and got him going somewhere. But he knows that Rachel will freak out if he calls Quinn, and besides, her school doesn't get out for another few days. She's probably worried about exams and whatever.
He's so caught up in his head (and in the ESPN predictions – they're expecting Michigan to win the National Championship, which is just a joke – that he doesn't notice the doorbell ringing. He does, however, notice when the door is pushed open.
"Hello? Kurt?"
Oh, it's just Blaine. Finn stops searching for a baseball bat and heads over to greet his brother's boyfriend.
"Hey, Blaine. He went to help Rachel with fashion."
"Figures," Blaine says. "Do you know when he'll be back? I can just return in an hour or so."
"Don't worry," Finn says. "I just have ESPN on."
"Cool."
The two boys head to the living room. The minute they sit down, though, Finn gets an idea. A good idea. No, a great idea, like the greatest idea that he's ever had.
After all, Blaine is gay, so he understands girls, but he's also a dude, so he understands dudes. He doesn't talk to Finn's mom, like, ever and he won't tattle to Rachel and. . .
"I think that I'm dropping out of school."
Blaine looks kind of terrified, and Finn has a moment to think that maybe his brilliant idea isn't so brilliant. He remembers, a little belatedly, that he and Blaine haven't really been tight ever since the shorter boy transferred (and stole all the solos. . .and the lead in the school play. . .and all the popularity. . .and Prom King. . .). But Blaine takes a moment, closes his eyes, sets back his shoulders, and takes a deep breath. Finn recognizes the gesture – the same thing Blaine always did before any performance. When the boy looks up again, his hazel eyes are calm and his jaw set.
"Why?"
So Finn tells him. About losing the scholarship, and the grades that he's pretty sure won't be good. About how he doesn't even have a major, or a job he wants. About how he really just likes working in Burt's garage. . .how he likes getting his hands dirty, and fixing things, and being able to handle things really well. About how all he really wants is a job that he likes and maybe. . .well, maybe a family one day.
Blaine just listens to the whole thing, nodding and cocking his head every now and again.
"Wow," Finn finally says when he's finished. "You should be a psychologist. You're really good at listening."
Blaine smiles a little, just a softening of his lips, really. "Have you told your mom?"
"No. I'm pretty sure she'll be pissed at me."
"What about Rachel?"
"Um. . .she might cry."
Blaine sighs, and glances up at the ceiling. "It sounds to me," he says slowly, pausing as though he's thinking carefully about what to say. "like you've really thought this out. It sounds like you've considered your decision, and have a good understanding of what your dreams are. You're going to have to tell the people who love you, and they aren't going to like your decision."
Finn frowns. That's kind of what he'd been thinking, but he doesn't want to believe that's really the case. Well. . .maybe he doesn't have to tell them anything. He can always just go back to school in January and, like, live in a cardboard box. He'll come home on weekends to work in the garage and. . .
Yeah, that kind of sounds like a stupid idea, even in his own head.
"But it's your decision," Blaine says. "You have to make it for yourself. All Carol and Rachel want is for you to be happy – they just have different beliefs in what will get you there."
Finn frowns. Thinks a minute. Then smiles, because now he totally gets it. "It's like you and Kurt," he says. "How Kurt didn't want you joining that Glee club, or being in that gay club, but you did it anyway, because it makes you happy!"
Except that Blaine doesn't look happy right now – he just looks confused and kind of upset.
"Wait – what?"
But Finn doesn't have time to worry about Blaine, because he's filled with a new resolve. He knows what he has to do to be happy, and he just needs his mom and Rachel to understand that.
Xxx
"What do you mean, understand?"
This isn't going so well. His mom is freaking out, and Rachel is just sitting there, eyes big and brown and kind of, like, wet-looking. Meanwhile, Kurt and Blaine are just sitting there. Kurt has his legs crossed and this engrossed look on his face and Blaine is. . .what, is Blaine eating popcorn?
Finn's hungry. . .why doesn't he get any popcorn?
"What kind of future will you have?" his mom is asking. "What kind of job will you take if you don't have a college degree?"
Burt kind of mumbles around his meatloaf.
"I thought I could work in Burt's garage," Finn says. "I mean. . .I really like it. I could 'prentice, or something."
"But. . .but. . ."
Burt's looking at him now, and his eyes are as wet as Rachel's. Finn kind of shudders, because he's never seen Burt cry and he really, really doesn't want to.
"I've always wanted to keep the garage in the family."
Oh. That's . .that's really cool.
Kurt splutters a little, and Finn glances over. He still remembers his stepbrothers freak-out when Burt had started spending time with him. But Kurt just looks. . really happy, actually. He reaches out blindly – probably to grab his boyfriend's hand – but just ends up with a handful of popcorn, instead. Finn laughs.
"This isn't funny, Finn," His mom says, but she sounds kind of defeated, and keeps glancing over at Burt. "Although. . .that's a good career. And you would have a guaranteed job, and. . ."
"I've just never been good at school, Mom, you know that," Finn says. "Football was getting me into college but. . .it didn't help me figure out what to do when I got there."
"You've really thought about this?"
"Yeah."
"Okay, then." His mom stands up, and gives him a quick hug. It's kind of nice, and not embarrassing, since he's just at home having a nice, normal family dinner. His mom goes and clears Burt's plate, and grabs Blaine's bowl of popcorn before heading into the kitchen. "Who wants dessert?"
Blaine instantly gets up to help, and Kurt goes to put on a cup of coffee. Burt mutters something about checking the oil in Kurt's Navigator – what? – so it's just him and Rachel. She's still just staring at him, silent.
"Do you . . .uh. ..want to go make out?" Finn suggests. She just takes a deep breath.
"So that's it," she says. "You're staying in Ohio."
"Well, yeah," Finn says. He doesn't really understand what she's trying to get at. "I mean, this is where Burt's garage is."
Rachel ignores him. "You're staying in Ohio. Forever. And I'm in New York City."
"Right, but we can make long distance work," Finn says, still not understanding why she's so upset. "I mean, we have so far, right? You come home for breaks, and I can go visit sometimes. And we have Skype, and the phone."
"But. . .this isn't just four years of college," Rachel points out. "I'm never moving back here, Finn. And if you're going to take over the garage for Burt. . .you're never leaving."
Oh. Oh. He gets it now. It's not. . .it's not just four years. Rachel's never coming back. He hadn't really listened to her, junior and senior year – he'd assumed that she would go to college in New York, and they'd have a long distance relationship for four year s—which, yeah, would suck, but people could do that – and then somehow, magically, they'd be together again.
Except that they won't be. She'll still be in New York, and he'll still be in Ohio.
"So. . .what do we do?" Rachel stands up, twisting her dress nervously in her hands.
"What we have to do," she says. "We break up. I love you, Finn, but I love my dreams more, and I'm not giving up the Met and Broadway just to be the mechanic's wife."
"Rachel. . ."
She smiles at him, a little bit, but she's crying, too, so he can't tell if she's happy or sad. "I'm glad that you've found something to make you happy, Finn," she says, before turning toward the kitchen. "Carole, thank you so much for the wonderful meal, but I won't be staying for dessert."
She walks out the door. He watches her go.
He shouldn't. . .in the movies, don't they always chase the girl? He's not entirely certain. . .he falls asleep whenever Rachel makes him watch those girlie movies. . .the ones he watches usually involve zombies. Oh, God. Zombies. When the girl runs away she always gets eaten by zombies.
Unless she's a virgin. So. . .actually, Rachel should be fine. He's just finished figuring that out when he hears Burt's heavy tread. "Hey, Blaine, good thing I checked out Kurt's car. Looks like you left your key in it!"
Finn puts his head down on the table, and stares at the door. Any minute now, Rachel will walk back in. She likes to be dramatic.
"Um. . .actually, Dad. . .that's mine."
Maybe he should just sing her a song. She always likes it when he sings to her.
"Oh. I. . .um. . .oh. Okay, then. Should I. . .uh. . .stop paying room and board, then?"
Yeah, he'll totally sing to her. He just has to come up with the right song.
"Dad! We're not. . ."
"Mr. Hummel, don't get the wrong idea, it's not. . ."
Uptown Girl! That's it. It's perfect. It's all about, like, a girl who lives in one place, and a guy who lives in another. And the girl is totally awesome. She'll love it. He jumps up from his seat and runs into the kitchen. Kurt and Blaine both play piano, so he'll just get one of them to play for him. That way he won't have to pay to download it.
When he reaches the kitchen, he sees his mom cutting cake, Burt awkwardly dangling a key attached to a glittery Eiffel tower paper weight, and Kurt with a bright red face.
"Hey!" he says. "I need you guys to help me – dude, is that chocolate cake?"
Yeah, the plan can wait a couple of minutes.
A/N: More chinks in Klaine, massive wrench in Finchel, and how are Brittana dealing with Santana's recent crisis? Looks like the second semester may not go as smoothly as the first. . .
COMING SOON: Either a) Christmas Break Take II, featuring Kurt stressing over grades, Blaine stressing over parents, Santana stressing over xxxxxxx, and Brittany missing Santana (plus. . .Karofsky?) or back to school, where Rachel has to deal with being on her own for the first time in seemingly forever, and auditions for SummerStock are under way.