AN: Okaaay. Some people are going to hate this, because of how Rachel is portrayed. Frankly, it's all about perspective. I like the character Rachel- love her in fact. But, HighSchool!Rachel definitely would have done these things, and so would the Rachel in early Seasons, I think. This fic takes place in Season 2, while Ross and Rachel are dating. And Joey and Chandler are living together- it can be before or after Eddie, take your pic. I prefer to think it's after Eddie.
Warnings: Hints of slash, slight OOC (I just covered that in my AN), and no mentions of either Monica or Phoebe as of yet, which is a crime in and of itself.
Disclaimer: I don't own Friends. The title of this story, 'Kissing the Beehive', I stole from Penelope-Z, who is a wonderful fanfic author. I don't know if she came up with it or if it is some variation of a quote. I am not very quote-savvy. I also don't own the Seven Deadly Sins, which are the basis of this fic.
Dedication: To Lara Cox, because she hates Rachel.
Greed: Insatiable desire for wealth of any kind.
Rachel was a creature of habit, as much as she tried to deny it. She liked the seemingly never-ending pattern of fighting and making up with Ross, the easy routine of flirting with Chandler, just to see him look away when he remembered that she had a boyfriend- or at least a Ross- and that she couldn't mean it (never meant it). Even her love of fashion was carefully constructed layers of color and design and measurements that were familiar. Safe.
Until.
Until she'd cocked a hip and raised an eyebrow at Chandler in hopes to see the (habitual) spark of hope flare in his eyes. She didn't expect Ross, sitting next to her on the ratty orange sofa, to notice. Despite his claims of having a observant, science-honed eye, her boyfriend was usually oblivious.
But she had expected (counted on) Chandler noticing. Not only did his almost endearing insecurity complex make him extremely sensitive to any and all attention he got from a woman, but he had a keen, observant eye and an almost uncanny understanding of body language. He noticed, all right- he just didn't care anymore.
Instead, he watched for the easy, full smiles on Joey's face, the excited hand gestures and invitations to play some foosball that he seemed to see, hear, and respond to from across the apartment, across Central Perk, sometimes (it seemed to Rachel) across the whole damn city.
It didn't matter, of course. Rachel still avoided Mark at work, still slept next to Ross every night, still rested her hand a little too high on Chandler's leg. Still pretended she didn't see how Joey never smiled that much (or that genuinely) at any of his girlfriends, or that Chandler's jokes were never mean-spirited, not when talking to Joey.
As they all walked to the pizza place together (a welcome change from coffee), she tried not to notice the way Chandler's hand (accidentally?) brushed Joey's. The way they both smiled.
But even though she didn't want to, tried not to, Rachel could see this was a habit she finally needed to kick.
Well, there you are. This will be continued, but in a sort of series of vignettes, not as one continuous story. I would really appreciate a review. It took me a surprisingly long time to write this, and edit it. How long will a review take you? Two minutes? Think about it.