Hi! This chapter is more of a filler chapter, admittedly, but soon thing's will get interesting ;)
Thank you to Gillan Deverone for beta'ing! As usual
Enjoy!
"Just a few more things," Rachel tells him, patting his arm with a smile.
He grimaces. "You said a few more things last time." He's struggling with some boxes, filled with God knows what. All he knows is that they're heavy and Rachel has brought in a total of one box. "Aren't you going to help?"
"I am," she says, "I'm emptying the boxes. That's a very important job." Rachel nods, smiling again. He doesn't return it. All afternoon he's been lugging them up to his apartment, or their apartment as it is now. It'd been a long, long discussion as to whose apartment they should live in, Finn's eventually winning because it's bigger and the most convenient for the both of them. And now they're moving her things in. Well, some of her things. They basically have all they need there already.
He's not sure what living together is gonna be like. He's excited, of course, but then he's scared too. It's a really big step in a relationship and he does not want to screw it up. That's why he's doing everything that Rachel tells him to, even if he's going to be aching for a while afterwards. Why are all her things so heavy? She's so tiny and light, so he kind of expected her things to be the same. No such luck.
Dropping a box, a little less gently than she'd hoped and earning a glare from the woman, he lets out a long sigh. "Maybe we should just put away this stuff," he suggests, sauntering her way. She's in nothing but a tank top and a tiny pair of shorts, her long, tan legs stretching on for miles. "Or maybe we could take a break?" he smirks, a hand curling around her waist, rubbing the exposed line of skin from where the shirt had ridden up. She relaxes under his touch, allowing him to kiss her, slowly and tenderly, tongue slipping through her lips.
Just as he's about to heat things up a little, she tugs herself out of his grasp, offering a bright smile. "You're right, I think we should empty some of the boxes." Out of her line of vision, he pulls a face at being denied anything further, but throws on a smile as soon as she's looking at him again.
"Sure, let's go," he says, a slight reluctance to his voice that she doesn't catch as she grabs the nearest box with overpowering enthusiasm and starts to take the things out.
Turns out, Rachel has a lot of things. Things that had their own specific place in her large, Manhattan apartment, and things that are now being moved into the places of his things in his apartment. There are like their weird little ornaments that she scatters about, smiling strangely at them before she locates each a spot, every time moving what belongs to him.
He watches as she stuffs more things into the box than had originally been in it.
"Erm, Rach, I thought you were unpacking?"
She nods, "I am."
"Then… why're you putting things back into boxes?" He steps closer, eyeing the contents of the box in her hands. "Hey, you can't get rid of that. It was like one of the first things that I bought when I moved in here." He grabs the item, his hand faster than hers, and he holds it above her reach.
"Finn. It's a bobblehead doll of…" her nose scrunches up, eyes regarding it for a few seconds, "I don't even know." She sends a pleading look his way. This is her apartment too, and she doesn't need things like that constantly staring at her.
"It's Brad Richards." Finn says, like it's the most obvious thing in the world. His voice is raised, annoyed, and her jaw sets.
She jumps onto her toes, trying to grab it, but with his six foot three height, and her own tiny five foot two, it's clear that she's not getting it any time soon. "Give it to me," she demands, jumping again when he makes no effort to move, "Finn!"
"Why can't it stay?"
Rolling her eyes and sighing loudly, she says, "Because it doesn't match anything else. Neither does any of this stuff." She points into the box, resisting another eye roll, "and that's why it's all going." Still, she can't reach high enough to take the small statue from Finn, which only amuses him further, a smirk sliding onto his lips, and adding to her annoyance. "Stop taking advantage of my height, Finn Hudson, or you will regret it."
He laughs, "Please, you're about as scary as a kitty."
She practically growls at him, eyes blazing, and her hand swipes once more at his.
"Oh, kitty got some claws on her, huh?"
"Finn!" Rachel stomps her foot, "you're so frustrating!"
"And you're not being the same by throwing away my things?" he counters. "In case you weren't aware, this is my apartment, and these are my things. You can't just come in here and change it to however you want it."
"No, this is our apartment, since I'm moving in with you and we'll eventually be married. Or did you forget that you proposed to me?!"
He shakes his head, letting out an exasperated sigh, "Rach, it doesn't feel like you're moving in with me. It just feels like you're moving in here, and I'm being put somewhere else." The amount of annoyance in his voice makes her wince slightly. As he speaks, he slowly lowers his arm, but Rachel doesn't move for the bobble head, instead gazing upon him with sad eyes.
"I just wanted everything to be perfect…" Her gaze falls to the floor, shoulder slumping. For a moment, he considers just sweeping her up into his arms, and stopping this before it becomes a real fight, but then he's kind of angry at her; she can't just expect to have things her way all the time. He knows that she's used to that and the whole 'old habits die hard' thing, yet that doesn't mean that she can't try to compromise.
"I know you did," he tells her, a hand taking hold of hers, caressing the palm with his thumb, "but that's your idea of perfect, not mine. And Rach," he sighs softly, "it's not just you anymore. It's you and me, you know? When we do stuff like this, we have to think about each other."
Her frown persists. "I guess I did get kind of carried away." When he raises his eyebrow, she continues, "Fine, I was being selfish, I know. And it isn't fair to you, but I just wanted some of the comforts of my old apartment. I wanted it to feel like home." She places down the box on the table, moving over to the couch with Finn in her tow.
"Rach?" he asks carefully as she sits, bringing her knees up and resting her chin on them. His hand rubs her back slowly, trying to soothe her. She manages a small smile his way.
"It's silly," she tells him.
"What is?" He really wants to know what's been bugging her lately, so that they can solve it and she'll be her usual crazy and bubbly self. She shakes her head again before leaning it against his shoulder, seeming at ease in his arms. "Rach," he probes, "come on, I'm your fiancé. We can't keep secrets from each other."
Despite herself, she smiles when he calls her his fiancé. It makes her heart feel warm and happy, but it still doesn't counteract the feelings of worry and doubt that are currently swallowing her whole. She knows that she should tell him; that he deserves to know, yet she can't bring herself to say it, as she fears he could react badly. And she feels stupid for even questioning it herself – like she's a bad person for being able to think that.
She closes her eyes, sighing. "I'm just," she almost tells him, almost, but then her mouth is saying something else, "I'm worried about the wedding. I just want it to be close family and friends, but what if it's hounded by the paparazzi?" Rachel keeps her face hidden against her knees so that she doesn't give anything away.
Finn sends a lopsided smile her way. "Hey, come on, it'll be fine. Kurt and Quinn will keep them away, and they won't ruin anything." As she glances up for a moment, her eyes meeting his, he cups her chin, "and I'm going to make sure that this is the most perfect wedding of your dreams, okay?" She no longer holds back her own smile, wiping at her watery eyes. Finn is a good guy, she repeats the mantra in her mind, knowing in her heart that what Jesse had said can't be true. But why is her head doubting it?
"It'll be perfect no matter what, because I'm marrying you."
His face brightens, swooping down for a kiss, "I'm the luckiest guy alive."
She can't seem to keep the smile from her face now; she pushes the other thoughts to the back of her mind and begins to stand. "Come on, we have to finish unpacking." When Finn hesitates, she says: "And this time we'll compromise. We'll have to get rid of some things though – there isn't enough room for both of our things."
"I can live with that," he agrees, "I never really liked that bobble head anyway."
A small gasp escapes her lips. "B-but you were so insistent on keeping it!"
He grows sheepish. "I was trying to prove a point. That you can't just like, decide what stays and what goes. It's my stuff, I'll decide," she eyes him, "with your input. But ultimately, it's my decision."
Rachel pouts slightly, but eventually nods.
"I suppose that, if there are some surplus boxes, we could always put them in the spare bedroom. It's not like we're using it for anything else, right?"
"But what if like, we do need it - I dunno – in the future some time."
At first, her eyebrows knit together, and the realization hits her, her mouth falling open into an 'o'. "You mean… children."
"Well, yeah…" he trails off lamely. It's not exactly a topic that he talks about much; he knows that he wants children, and that he'll be the best father than he can be – one who is always there for them, but that used to seem so far in the future that it didn't matter. And now, now it doesn't feel so distant. He shakes his head, feeling a little embarrassed when he sees her still shocked face (hasn't she considered this too?) and says, "Never mind. It doesn't matter."
"No," she says immediately, hands wrapping around his. "It does Finn, of course it does. You caught me off guard, that's all." Her eyes move over to the open door leading to the guest room. It's lightly furnished – enough for somebody to be comfortable, but nothing major. The walls suddenly morph into a soft pink, the bed to a crib and dressing table; and she sees Finn holding their daughter, a proud, fatherly smile gracing his lips. Her own smile grows. "And, when the time comes, we can take the boxes out. It's not like we're having a baby right now, is it? We have to get married first." She smiles, bumping her hip with his, and he returns it, wrapping an arm around her before kissing her softly.
"That makes sense," he agrees, "I mean, most people don't even have kids until like… a lot of years into their marriage."
Rachel leans back against his chest, loving the feel of his arms secured around her frame, "I don't think it'll take us that long. It's not like we can't afford a baby, or that we don't have enough space for one."
He feels a mix of excitement and fear rush though him at the subject of the conversation, and he tightens his grip on her, leaning his chin on her forehead. "Hmm, that's true." His hand subconsciously moves over her flat stomach, imaging what it would feel like if she were pregnant. A smile tugs at his lips.
After a few minutes of just standing together, locked in place, he sighs, "We really should get finished. You know, before Kurt comes back; you know what he's like."
She agrees a little reluctantly, more so when she moves from his warm embrace. "And we need everything to be perfect for our parents having dinner here tomorrow." He pulls a face, "Finn, don't look at me like that! We talked to my dads over the phone. They're happy for us."
"I think you're using the term 'happy' real loosely there babe. More like 'we'll pretend that we're okay with it until you slip up and then we can get rid of you for good'." He shrugs, "For example."
With a nudge to his side, she giggles, "You know that that's not true. They're warming up to you. You and Daddy bonded over hockey! You were talking about it for so long – he was laughing with you."
He frowns, "I think he was just enjoying that fact that I broke my arm playing hockey once… not actually laughing with me. More at me." She smiles sympathetically toward Finn, a hand running up and down his arm gently. "You're lucky that my mom loves you."
Gazing at him carefully, she asks, "She does?"
"Uh, yeah! She called a few days ago, and spent like half of the conversation talking about you."
She smiles widely, unable to contain her happiness. Ever since she met the woman, she's felt a constant need to impress her, to prove that she's worthy of Finn, and hearing that is relieving. "I'm glad. I like her too. After all, if it wasn't for her, then I wouldn't have you." She jumps onto her tiptoes, kissing his lips slowly. "And I can't imagine not having you."
They eventually get back to unpacking, and there are only a few more disagreements before everything is finished, all in its place (or new place now), and both are happy enough are their compromises, even if Rachel had thrown a fit about him making her keep some of her DVDs in a box because there wasn't enough room for both in the cabinet. She haggled her way into the Barbra movies joining his impressive collection of actions zombie and things filled with explosions and naked girls, but he puts his foot down when she produces her exhaustive list of 'sappy girly movies', and they're sent back to the box.
Both worn, Finn more so than Rachel, they retreat to the couch, falling down in unison. Somehow her legs end up tangled with his, each lay across the span of the couch, his arm wrapped protectively over her waist.
The door opens, but neither flinch, instead chorusing a, "Hey Kurt," and keeping their gaze straight ahead to the TV where Finn had put on a movie.
"Well, isn't this cozy," he snorts at the sight of them cuddled up together.
"Like you don't do the same with Blaine," Finn comments, a smirk sliding onto his lips at the slight blush on Kurt's face.
His brother shakes his head, eyes scanning around the clean apartment. "You guys actually finished. I thought that you were just going to spend the whole day procrastinating." He adds under his breath, "Or having sex." All three cringe at the memory of Kurt walking in on them a couple days prior.
Rachel moves to sit up, ignoring Finn's protests, "It took us a while, but I'm glad that it's done." She beams.
"Please tell me that you convinced him to get rid of the…" Gaze turning to the shelving cabinet in the corner, he suddenly frowns. "You let him keep the Star Wars cup?!" Kurt shakes his head. "You have no idea how long I've been trying to get rid of it."
"Oh, I tried," she admits, "but he was pretty much close to crying, so I gave in."
"I was not crying!" he pouts.
She chuckles, patting the closest part of him to her, which just so happens to be his leg. Kurt watches the two curiously, their relationship still new to him. Of course he'd had his suspicions, but now that he's knows they're together, it all seems so obvious, and he wonders why he didn't see straight away. Finn and Rachel are staring at each other like some kind of love sick fools, and he thinks about how weird it is to see Finn in love. He's seen him with girls before, lots and lots of girls, but none have had quite the effect that Rachel Berry has. It's strange, like she's cast some sort of spell over Finn.
But, since this happened, he seems to genuinely want to be a better person, so who's Kurt to argue with that? And, he notices with a soft smile, they do look happy together.
He sits on the other couch, snapping his fingers to quickly tear them away from each other. They do so, reluctantly.
"Yes Kurt?"
"So," he says, "the plan. I'll pick Dad and Carole up at the airport in the morning, take them to the hotel to settle in, and then I'm bringing them here at seven, so you probably should be ready to start dinner around then. Who's cooking?"
"Rachel."
"Me!"
They reply at the same time, both sounding overly excited.
"I don't want to be rude, but you can cook, right?"
She scoffs, rolling her eyes, "Of course I can cook. I'm twenty four; I'm self-sufficient by now."
"Well, Finn's twenty five, and his culinary skills extend to grilled cheese sandwiches and instant noodles." Rather than look embarrassed, Finn grins at this, nodding his head proudly. "That's not good Finn," Kurt laughs as Rachel giggles behind her hand when Finn blushes slightly. "I just wanted to be sure," he adds to Rachel. "And then the day after tomorrow, we're going dress shopping!" At this, he claps his hands together excitedly.
"We?" She honestly thought that she'd just end up going with Quinn.
He nods, "Yes, Carole insisted on coming, and I need to preapprove your dress. It's going to be so much fun." Kurt is practically jumping in the spot at the thought of dress shopping, eyes bright.
She can't help but grin his way, the excitement infectious. Getting along with Finn's family is extremely important to her, and this is just another step to get closer to them, especially with Kurt, who she feels she hasn't truly bonded with yet. That won't be true for long. Despite the nerves, she can't wait for the next couple of days, and she hopes that it all goes as smoothly as planned.
The date has already been set – thanks to Kurt's exceptional planning skills – and all she really has to do now is wait. And it's all happening so fast, she knows, but it doesn't feel that fast. It feels right.
"Are you staying for a while?" she asks Kurt, determined to start to get him more, and wanting to start that as soon as possible, "I could make us all some dinner. Then you can sample my cooking for yourself."
"I suppose I could sacrifice one night," he says. "We haven't really had time to just relax like we used to, have we?"
Finn grins, "You're right. And dude, Rachel's like, the best cook ever." She beams proudly.
"It's settled then. You two stay here. I'm going to get started!"
She moves to the kitchen, an irreplaceable smile on her face. Everything is working out so perfectly, and for the night she allows herself to forget about Jesse's 'warning' or whatever it was, and focus on her bright future with Finn and his family.
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