A/N: I am very late to the new Faberry Week 2022, so I'll try to post more for each day. Bear with me and if you like, please comment ;)
Prompt: Day 2 - Covid 19
Warning: Sexual references, mentions of Covid 19 timeline/events
Your heart is on my sleeve
"Quinn? What are you doing here?" She is surprised to see the blonde girl, on her doorstep, after months of radio silence and mutual choice of ignoring one another.
"Didn't Santana tell you? I am visiting for the weekend." She nods to the suitcase at her side. "Can I come in?"
"Of course." Rachel steps aside and lets her in. Everyone is welcome in their home, especially her former tormentor * slash * friend * slash * whatever they are now. "Not that I mind company, but are you really sure you got your dates right?"
"Yes, why?" She checks her phone for any text or missed call from Santana.
"Santana is not here, as you may see for yourself." She nods around the mildly spacious loft. "She is back in Lima, for her Mom's birthday."
"No, we talked about this. See?" She types in her passcode and shows the brunette a whatsapp exchange, where they confirmed it.
"Well, I think she must have forgotten because she left two days ago. She won't be back before Sunday." She looks up at the defeated blonde. "But you're still more than welcome to stay."
"Are you sure? I don't want to impose, really." Quinn types a quick - and angry - text to her supposed best friend and looks back at the petite brunette.
"I don't mind some company. Kurt is off visiting his new boyfriend's family in Montana, so it's just me." She chuckles.
"I'm sure having me around was the last thing you wanted." She checks her phone. "I can still take a late train back to New Haven, I am sure there's something."
"Quinn Fabray, you will not do such a thing. Are you rejecting my hospitality?" Rachel crosses her arms over her chest, huffing.
"No, of course not. It's just…" She sighs. "We kind of drifted apart and it could be awkward?"
"Well, one more reason for you to stay so we can catch up." She rewards her with a megawatt smile. "You can freshen up in the bathroom while I get us some food? Is Indian fine?"
"Whatever you're in the mood for." Quinn nods and takes her shoes off, neatly sitting them by the door.
"Clean towels are under the sink and feel free to take Kurt's room." She pads to the fridge, where they have stacked the take-out menus.
"I can take Santana's bed." She nods to the couch.
"It's awful for your back and Kurt won't have anything to say against it." She smiles reassuringly and it's all Quinn needs to make up her mind.
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"What do you think?" Quinn nods to the news reporting the cases rising. It was not going well at all.
"I really can't think of anything, I just know my Daddy cannot even visit Nana and she isn't getting any younger." She drops the sticks in the Pad Thai takeout box.
"It came out of the blue, but maybe it will get better sooner than we think." Quinn switches the news off and leans back as well. "What does your other Dad say? He works at Lima General, no?"
"He's seeing so much, but Lima is small compared to other towns. He might have to go give a hand in the towns nearby too…" Rachel stands to take the leftovers into the kitchen. "No one knows enough to fight it."
"He will be okay." Quinn follows her and leans against the counter. "Have you heard from anyone else from home?"
"Finn called me. He wanted me to go home, but I couldn't." Rachel looks at her. "My life is here and I can't drop everything to go home. To do what?"
"You two are still giving it a try?" She doesn't know why she is even asking. She doesn't really want to know the neverending story between them.
"We tried but we want different things and no one wants to make a compromise, you know?" She washes her hands quickly.
"I see. I thought that after Mr. Schue's wedding, you two would…" She trails off. "You know."
"Well, that's why you came to visit Santana? Because of what happened between you two that night?" She turns to face her and Quinn is surprised. So surprised that she takes a step back.
"How do you even know?" Quinn raises her infamous eyebrow at her.
"Santana likes to brag." She shrugs. "It didn't take her long to rub it in my face." She moves past the blonde to finish cleaning the rest of their dinner.
"Rub what in your face?" Quinn follows after her.
"Well, the fact she popped your lesbian cherry or unpressed your lemon? It was a fruit related metaphor." She shrugs. "For some odd reason, she thought I would be saddened by the news."
"Were you?" Quinn leans against the back of the couch.
"Yes, but not because you two had an intercourse. That's your business." She walks back into the kitchen to throw away the empty boxes and cans.
"Then what made you sad?" Quinn stares at her back.
"I had to find out from her." She stands with her head bowed. "I thought we were friends and this is something friends discuss with one another. Right?" She turns to look at the blonde.
"I didn't know you and Finn slept together either, but I didn't throw it back at you." She crosses her arms over her chest.
"I am not…I am not throwing anything at you." Rachel shakes her head. "I am just saying that I wanted to know this from you. It's a big thing."
"For whom? Not for me." Quinn looks at her. "I've known for a while."
"You have? Before you and Santana slept together?" She is puzzled.
"Yes, long before that." Quinn nods quickly.
"Oh, I see and how-"
"Sorry to cut it short, but I'm wiped.. You don't mind if I crash now? We said we could watch a movie but can we take a raincheck?." She yawns loudly.
"Of course. We can watch it tomorrow." Rachel forces a smile.
"Thank you. So, have a good night." She turns on her heels and heads towards Kurt's room, leaving the other girl there, in silence.
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"Morning." Rachel greets her the moment she steps out from Kurt's room, but her smile drops at the sight of Quinn's suitcase behind her. "You're leaving?"
"I think it's the best thing for us." Quinn rubs the back of her head. "I shouldn't have come here, without making sure Santana was around."
"Because you need Santana's support to deal with me? Am I so insufferable?" She turns to the coffee pot and looks down, fighting the tears. "Am I the same overwhelming and loud girl that you couldn't wait to torment? I thought we were past that."
"We were." Quinn takes a step forward. "We still are but I would be lying if I said we are friends or even something less. We haven't spoken in months and we clearly hold onto some sort of animosity over something I cannot really tell."
"You're bisexual, Quinn, and you never said anything. How long have you known?" She turns to look at her.
"I don't know, why do you even care? It has nothing to do with you." The blonde crosses her arms over her chest. "It's my life."
"It has everything to do with me!" Rachel shouts and Quinn takes a step back. "How long?"
"I don't know…a year? Maybe a couple." She furrows her brows.
"So, senior year? You've known since then?" Rachel takes a step forward.
"God, is this a third degree or something? Do I need a lawyer?" Quinn moves past her to grab a cup of coffee, even if every fiber in her body calls for something else. Something stronger.
"You've known since before my wedding?" Rachel watches her shoulders slouch. "You have, didn't you?"
"What if I have? What difference does it make?" She finishes her sip and rests her forehead against the cupboard. She wants to run. She only wants to run the farthest away and never come back.
"When you were singing that song, you were singing to Finn and only Finn?" Rachel quotes her word by word. Pause by pause and Quinn's heart sinks in her chest. "I was so damn oblivious, how didn't I see it?"
"You're reading too much into that, it was nothing really." She pushes herself off the counter to retrieve her suitcase. When she walks past Rachel, the brunette simply reaches out for her wrist.
"Did anyone ever tell you why I didn't marry him? I could have." She looks away. "I should have, probably."
"I got into a car accident on my way to your wedding." Quinn looks at the hand around her wrist.
"I hesitated, Quinn. For a small, minuscule moment, I hesitated and right then, we got the news about your accident." She looks up into Quinn's eyes. "I couldn't go through it without you there."
"You can still have a second chance with him." Quinn slips her hand away from her grip. "When something is meant to happen, it will."
"Maybe I don't want a second chance with him." She reaches for her hand but Quinn pulls away. "Quinn…"
"I can't stay, Rachel." Quinn shakes her head and grabbing her suitcase, she rolls it towards the door.
"Quinn, you can't leave now." Rachel chases after her, despite the small apartment.
"Rach, please…" She looks at her over her shoulder.
"No, Quinn…you can't go." Rachel pulls her phone up for the other girl to see. "New York is in lockdown."
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"Rachel, food is here." Quinn removes the mask and reaches for the hand sanitizer bottle they keep by the door, quickly washing her hands and the handles of the grocery bag. It's probably a waste of it but it keeps someone else at ease.
"Were they wearing a mask?" Rachel lifts her hair in a messy bun.
"Yes and so was I." She drops on the couch and starts unpacking their food, until the bag is empty and discarded to the side.
"Did you sanitize your hands?" The brunette sets the napkins and forks down.
"Yes, but I'll do it again before we eat." She gets up to go wash her hands in the shared bathroom. "One Mississippi. Two Mississippi."
"Don't skip your Mississippi, Miss Fabray!" Rachel chuckles from where she is sitting. It takes Quinn a few more to join the brunette on the couch, for their dinner.
"So, what's in store for tonight?" She hands the blonde a remote, who switches to her Netflix account and retrieves the TV show from where they have left it. "God, you're obsessed with these two."
"We can always dream of going shopping like Serena and Blair do." She chuckles and digs her fork in the fried rice. "And I am not talking about the pandemic, but who can pay for that on a daily basis?"
"Well, I don't recall you strutting down the hallway wearing something less expensive, when you were not in your punk phase or wearing your uniform." Rachel nudges her. "Remind me not to take you out shopping when this is over."
"My family is rich but not that rich, Rach." She points to the screen. "You see those shoes? They're worth more than $2,000 and they have a closet full of those. My Mom doesn't have that many."
"Poor you. I really feel for you." Rachel rolls her eyes at her. "Who is more your type?"
"Fuck…" Quinn fights the urge to spit it out. The question totally catches her off guard. "My type?"
"Yes, your kind of girl. You must have a type, everyone does." She sits her takeout box down.
"Let me guess. Yours are tall, goofy men with a superhero complex." Quinn munches away.
"Serena. I'd totally go for it." She chuckles when Quinn coughs beside her, having choked on her bite. "Dear God, are you okay?"
"You…you're going to kill me." Quinn reaches for her diet coke and gulps a gentle amount down. "And Serena is not your type. You're more of a Dan one."
"Nuh uh. Serena." Rachel keeps staring at the screen. "She is complex, rebellious and…well, she is hot. Don't you agree?"
"Well, that's not really up for debate but I am more into Blair, even if we'd end up killing each other." Quinn chuckles. "Queen Bees fighting over the city of New York."
"You're sure you can go through the front door, with that ego?" Rachel nudges her and reaches for her lemon tea.
"Whatever." Quinn huffs in protest and when Rachel chuckles, she just resumes the episode hoping for less surprises.
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"God, can you turn it off?" Quinn groans at the sight of the umpteenth local news channel reporting the increase of their death tolls. It's taunting.
"816, Quinn. 816 people died for this and we…" Rachel hugs the pillow to her chest, tears trailing down her cheeks.
"Turn it off." She hisses, this time. She is about to snap and it won't be pretty.
"Quinn, we must know what's going on. People are dying, do you even care?" She turns to her with her big brown eyes, puffy and red with tears, and Quinn loses it. She snatches the remote from Rachel's hand and turns the TV off, before throwing it aside, not smashing it despite the full force of her hit. "Quinn!"
"People die all the time, Rachel. We are meant to die, what's the fucking news?" She shouts without even realizing she is. "Seeing the counter going up won't make it better. It won't keep you or your loved ones safe! It will just…" She trails off. "I hear you at night. I hear you cry for hours and this won't help you."
"And ignoring it will do the job? Do you think that ignoring what's happening will make it go away? You don't talk to your family or friends. You carry on like this isn't happening to you, like you're…" She tries to find the appropriate words.
"Like what? Like I don't feel anything at all?" She chuckles bitterly. "You're not the first nor the last person to tell me this at the most appropriate times. A funeral and now this…" She shakes her head.
"I never said you don't feel anything, but keeping your emotions in check doesn't help. It's not healthy, Quinn…" The brunette looks at her. "Who said that at a funeral?"
"Who do you think?" The blonde rolls her eyes and Rachel gets it. "We were never meant to be."
"Maybe or maybe your real soulmate is back at Yale or 3,000 miles away from here." Rachel lowers her guard and her tone. "But it's just me and you, whether you like it or not, and we should open up to each other. It will do us good."
"Says who?" Quinn crosses her arms over her chest, in a defensive stance.
"I do." Rachel takes a step closer and reaches to uncross her arms. "May I hug you now?" She asks and when Quinn nods, even imperceptibly, she presses up into the taller girl, who just sinks in her embrace.
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6.55 PM.
Like every day, for the last week, she sits on the window sill in her room and waits.
She waits, while her neighbors take their places around her. Some have just their heads out of the window, some are luckier to actually have a small balcony where to stand and be more comfortable.
She takes a seat. She takes a seat with a view on the "City that never sleeps" but that has been so quiet lately. Too quiet for her likely. It's a sleeping giant, waiting for their turn to be woken up and brought back to life, with the noises and the lights and everything else that make NYC unique.
7 PM.
The clapping starts from afar but as everyone joins, it becomes louder and louder. It spreads around like a soft blow of warm hair, that embraces everyone in one tight hug.
She claps louder and whistles, as much as Finn has taught her.
She cheers when someone else starts shouting from the building across from her.
She almost cries, when the laughter of a kid joins them.
She sheds a tear or two when everything calms down around her. She wipes the corner of her eyes when the silence takes over them and it all ends too soon. It's too soon to feel lonely again.
"Here." Quinn sits across from her and hands her a cotton handkerchief. She holds it for Rachel to take and to brush the tears away.
"Where did you find it?" Rachel notices the guitar at Quinn's side, against the wall.
"Santana kept it hidden in Kurt's closet." She lifts it and holds it in her lap, adjusting the chords slightly.
"I didn't know you played. Who taught you? Noah?" Rachel leans on her elbows, placed on her knees, to give her full attention.
"Or maybe I knew how to play even before some guy showed me how cool it could be." Quinn plays a couple of notes and then starts playing for real. She plays the familiar music and Rachel cannot help it. She joins the melody with her voice, breaking that deafening silence.
Moon river, wider than a mile
I'm crossing you in style some day
Oh, dream maker, you heart breaker
Wherever you're going, I'm going your way
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"Quinn? What are you doing here, in the dark?" Rachel goes to turn the lights on but Quinn whimpers a weak "no" and she stops.
"You should go back to sleep." She drags her to the edge of the couch to get to the open bottle of whiskey. How did she forget about Santana storing it in the back of her closet?
"Quinn, what's wrong?" She reaches for the bottle but Quinn is faster and she drinks some more, until only half bottle is still there. "Quinn…"
"My Dad is in the ICU." The blonde drops back against the couch and looks up, in the dark. "He's been on a ventilator machine since yesterday."
"Oh God, Quinn…why didn't you say anything?" Rachel holds a hand over her mouth, gasping in shock. "What are you going to do?"
"What should I do? Cry fat tears over a man who kicked me out of his home when I needed it the most?" She chuckles and takes another swig off her bottle. "I have no regrets."
"That's why you're getting drunk on whiskey? I am sure you have no regrets, but dealing with it like this is not the solution." Rachel takes the bottle and sits it behind her side of the couch. "Have you spoken to your Mom? They're still technically married, right?"
"Yeah, he never wanted to divorce even if he's been shagging some 20 years old tattoo freak. I bet she's waiting to get her hands on his money, that's all he could offer." She laughs. "What a perfect American family, don't you think?"
"What does Frannie say?" Rachel reaches for her hand but Quinn just moves forward to get to the bottle that she has hidden. "No, Quinn."
"Who are you to tell me how I should deal with this?" She tries again but Rachel just pushes her back and keeps the bottle out of her reach.
"Stop it. Stop it, Quinn…" She struggles to keep the blonde in place but she manages to stop her from getting more alcohol. "Let's get you in bed, you clearly need it."
"You don't know what I need. You don't know anything!" Standing up, the room starts spinning and she would have ended up on the floor, if not for Rachel who has shot up from her seat to keep her upright.
"I know you need to lie down." She tugs her down the hallway towards Kurt's room, struggling against Quinn's grip.
"No. I don't need that. I want to drink." Quinn tries to pull away from her grip but the room starts spinning and she has to hold onto the brunette.
"You can have water. Lots of water." Rachel steers them toward her temporary bed and manages to lay her down, even if Quinn doesn't make it easy for her. "Where is your PJ?"
"I have no Pj." Quinn giggles when her fingers reach behind her back to unzip the dress she is wearing. "You're trying to cop a feel, Berry?"
"No…I…" Rachel blushes in the dark but Quinn still notices it, despite her obvious inebriated state. "Quinn, turn around so I can take this off."
"If you wanted to see me naked, you'd just have to ask." Sitting up, she lets the undone dress drop around her waist, baring her chest. "Is this what you wanted?"
"Quinn…" Rachel has to look away.
"You want it don't you? You can have it." She reaches for her hands and moves them to her collarbone. "You can touch."
"You're drunk." Rachel tries to pull back but she is stronger and her resolve is dying down, any second now.
"Never stopped anyone before." She chuckles bitterly.
"You think so little of me?" Rachel pulls back, angered by the implications of her words. "Really?"
"Rachel, I didn't…" Quinn sobers up hearing her angered tone.
"You are sober enough to get ready for bed on your own. Goodnight, Quinn." She turns around on her heels and storms out.
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"Should we talk about it or just keep the dirt under the carpet?" Rachel isn't going to ignore the elephant in the room. The apartment is not big enough to fit the three of them for a long time, anyway.
"There's no carpet, no?" Quinn shrugs and goes back to reading her book but the brunette girl really has gotten enough of her passive-aggressive bullshit. She grabs the book and throws it aside, finally catching the other woman's attention.
"We are going to talk about this." She steps in front of her, arms crossed over her chest.
"Talk about what? There 's nothing to talk about, really." It's in moments like these that she blames herself for having ever left the privacy of her dorm at Yale. It could have been her, her books and no one else.
It's in moments like these that she misses being able to storm out of a door, to take a walk or just to run away from conversations she doesn't want to have.
It's in moments like these that she wishes she hadn't gotten stuck with Rachel Berry - of all the people - to talk about her feelings.
"Then I'll start." Rachel sits on the edge of the coffee table, right across from the blonde. "Shall we address your obvious issue with alcohol? I never saw anyone drink like that and you're just 21. If you keep that up, I wonder if you'll cross the 40s milestone."
"That's because you never attended a dinner chez Fabray." She laughs. "If you think I have a problem, then what would you tell my Mom or my Dad? We had a stock of whiskey and vodka to last for a decade, but it was gone by the year rolling into a new one."
"Doesn't mean you don't have an issue, Quinn." The brunette sighs. "I know alcohol numbs the pain but it's not the answer."
"My Dad dropping out of my life for good would solve most of it." Quinn leans her head back, shutting her eyes. She could feel the headache coming.
"That's an awful thing to say and I am sure you don't really believe that. It's your Dad…" Rachel shifts to sit beside her.
"And I would be a hypocrite if I forgave him just because he is dying. But I am sure he got Father Mark on speed dial to redeem himself before meeting St. Peter." She shakes her head and turns to look at Rachel. "I don't want him to die but you can't ask me to forgive him because his days are coming to an end."
"I am not asking you to do that, if you don't want to." Rachel cups the side of her cheek, catching a lone tear trailing down. "But I know you better than what you're trying to demonstrate. You can take the armor off, there's just me and you here."
"Doesn't mean you cannot hurt me anyway." She wraps her fingers around her wrist, holding her hand against her chest. "You know you have all the power to break this."
"I don't want to break it." Her palm rests over her chest, right above her heart.
"But you will." Quinn smiles lightly. It's a hint of a smile that adorns her face.
"How?" She holds her palm there.
"By giving me hope for something that can never happen." It's Quinn's turn to cup her face, caressing it with the back of her hand. "I came to terms with it a long time ago so, it's okay."
"Quinn, I…" Rachel looks away briefly. "I don't know…I feel something but-"
"Take your time. I am not going anywhere, also because I can't.." Quinn leans in to kiss her forehead and then, she gets up to freshen herself.
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"So, any preference for tonight?" Rachel is perched on the window sill of her room, like every night since the 7 PM ritual has started. She never misses it.
"Funny Girl?" Richie - from the building across from hers - calls out, earning some disapproving groans from the other neighbors, perched outside to join.
"We do that once a week. Do you know Iron Maiden?" The tattooed girl from two windows up asks and Rachel shakes her head, causing her disappointment.
"I think I have something." Quinn's voice from behind catches her attention and as she settles across from Rachel, more people join them from other windows. "You can never go wrong with Neil Young."
"You remembered that?" Rachel looks at her in awe. She remembers having mentioned her secret passion for it, passed along by her Grandfather, somewhen during their junior year. How could Quinn remember that?
"I remember everything." Quinn says with a smile that makes her heart skip a couple of beats. "You're ready?"
"Yes." Rachel settles comfortably against the window frame and crosses her legs, Indian style, to follow the rhythm by slapping her hands on her bent knees.
Quinn strums the first chords on the guitar, giving everyone the chance to recognize the song she is proposing for them to play. She nods to Rachel when it's her cue and the brunette doesn't fail, adding her voice.
Come a little bit closer
Hear what I have to say
Just like children sleepin'
We could dream this night away
Everyone joins from outside the best they can. They clap or join the singing, even if it's Rachel's voice that leads them all. It is Rachel's voice echoing around and giving them something to cheer on, even for a small ephemeral moment.
Because I'm still in love with you
I want to see you dance again
Because I'm still in love with you
On this harvest moon
When Quinn joins, she is the one taken aback. She has forgotten how good their voices could blend together, too preoccupied in chasing duets with Finn or anyone else, when there was so much at hands' reach.
She has always been there. She has always been there and it was everything she could ever need.
Quinn keeps on playing and she keeps on singing along, until the song comes to an end and the loud clapping replaces the music they have made together.
Rachel blushes as she thanks everyone and Quinn just slips in the background, leaving her to her moment of glory.
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"We need to restock on the zucchini and the vegan cream cheese for your Tuesday bagels." Quinn is chopping the vegetables, with her back to her. "We probably can buy a couple of bottles of almond milk too, if they have that brand you like so much."
"Sounds good." Rachel steps up to where she is and leans against the counter. "Anything I can help with?"
"Can you wash the cherry tomatoes?" She nods to the box on the counter.
"Nothing to chop? I am good with knives." She tries to reach for the pointy knife but the blonde takes it before she can grab it. "Oh c'mon, it only happened once!"
"Tell that to the coffee table. Good thing we don't have to pay for counseling for its PTSD." She chuckles at her pout. "Wash and drop them in the salad bowl."
"Fine, you're such a dictator in the kitchen." She mutters under her breath but Quinn still hears her and rolls her eyes. "What else, Chef Fabray?" Rachel looks at her over the shoulder.
"You can throw some baby carrots into the mix." She drops the chopped zucchinis into the hot pan and stirs them with a spoon. "Spaghetti or Penne?"
"Penne." Rachel walks to the cabinet where they have stored the pasta and reaches up, raising on her tiptoes, to get to the box. "Omph."
"Why can't you use the step ladder?" Quinn lowers the heat under the pan and slips behind her, to reach for it.
"Why do you insist on keeping pasta on the top shelves? You just want to make it hard for me." She drops back on her heels and turns around, coming face to face with Quinn's chin.
"Or maybe I want to just come to your rescue." She looks down at Rachel.
"You wouldn't need to rescue me if you kept the pasta within my reach." Rachel crosses her arms over her chest.
"I'll keep that in mind." Quinn hands her the pasta and pulls her in, just to close the cupboard without hitting her in the head.
"You better…" Rachel slips from under her arm and drops enough pasta for two servings, while the blonde goes back to the stove to check on the boiling water and their sauce.
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Quinn comes back to the apartment, arms full of grocery bags and with an itchy nose, due to the mask preventing her from breathing properly.
Kicking her shoes aside, she walks into the open kitchen, not catching any sight of Rachel anywhere.
"Mr. Rosenthal sends his regards, I think he dropped a couple of granola bars into our bag just for you." She calls out as she gets the food out.
"I stopped by Golden Palace on my way back, they've reopened." She eyes the Pad Thai with heart eyes, she has wanted to get her hands on it for weeks now.
"You got everything?" Rachel's voice is nothing but what she is used to and that alarms her.
"Rach, what's wrong?" Quinn drops everything she is doing and, after having sanitized her hands, she walks to the distraught brunette. Her eyes are puffy red and her nose runny, for the obvious tears she has shed. "Are you feeling unwell?"
"It's nothing." She shakes her head, but Quinn has none of it.
"Rachel, what is it?" Quinn stands in front of her, all worried about her and she loses it. She loses it again, dropping against her front and clinging to her for dear life.
"10,000 Deaths today. People are dying and it's so unfair…" She sobs against her chest. "Families are torn apart and they cannot even bury their loved ones."
"Shh…" Quinn holds her equally tight. She holds her tightly, rubbing the back of her head slowly.
"We can't go home. Your Father is dying and my Dad can't go home or he might pass it along to my Daddy. How is this fair? When will this come to an end?" She keeps her face pressed against her chest, breathing heavily.
"I don't know. I wish I knew, Rach." She can only hold her a little closer and do something she hasn't done in months.
She prays.
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It takes Rachel an hour and a short nap to finally calm down.
It takes Quinn an hour of soft whispers and reassuring words, that ease the brunette in a short but rejuvenating nap. The brunette falls asleep beside her, curled against her chest and she just watches her sleep.
She watches over her, ready to chase away any nightmare if she ever needs to.
"Did I fall asleep?" Rachel mutters against the pillow, voice still hoarse from all the tears.
"For a little while." Quinn tucks her hair back, behind her ear. "How are you feeling?"
"I've been better." Rachel opens one eye at time, surprised not to see the usual light surrounding them. It's already late afternoon. "I am sorry…"
"For what?" She keeps on stroking her hair and the skin behind her ear.
"For dumping this on you. It's the last thing you need." She hides her face against the pillow.
"Don't worry about it." Quinn scoots closer. "Do you want to eat something?"
"Not really but you go ahead." She looks up through her eyelashes.
"In a bit." She settles with her head on the same pillow and curls her arm behind the brunette, who just tangles their legs together and tucks her head under her chin. "You can sleep some more."
"You'll watch over me?" Tilting her head upwards, she nuzzles her nose along her collarbone and the base of her neck.
"I will." Quinn closes her eyes and pulls her closer, until they are pressed together.
"Quinn…" Rachel tilts her head back, just to be able to look into her eyes. "Open your eyes for me."
"Rach." She blinks her eyes open, not realizing how close they were until then.
"I'm done overthinking about this." Her hand cups the side of her neck, caressing her pulse with the pad of her thumb.
"About what?" She gulps lightly.
"About us." She drags her foot along the inside of her shin. "About the way you make me feel."
"Oh." Quinn nods softly.
"I want…" She tries to find the right words. "We always did everything backwards but I want to do this right for once."
"What do you mean?" She furrows her brows.
"Well, we moved in together before we even gave this a try. That's a little too fast for any lesbian manual, don't you think?" She giggles and tilts her head downwards, inching closer.
"Technically, I was just visiting but then I got stuck in here because of-" Her words are cut short by Rachel's mouth closing over hers and she has no interest in doing anything else, but kissing Rachel back.
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"If moving together was fast, what about this?" Quinn trails her lips along the side of her neck, pulling her hand back from between her thighs.
"Making up for all the time we lost?" She breathes heavily and reaches for her, leading her mouth back on hers while their bodies are so intimately pressed together, under the tangled sheets.
"Good answer, I like that." She reaches for her hands and pins them down, against the mattress.
"I like you." Rachel grins against her lips. She cannot stop kissing her and it seems Quinn agrees with her, because their lips cannot part for more than two seconds.
"You do? I couldn't tell." She chuckles when Rachel rolls them over, straddling her. "I like you a lot too, right now."
"Oh really? What about now?" She stretches her arms over her head, pushing her chest out. It doesn't take Quinn much to sit up and cover her breasts with her hands or mouth.
"God, Rachel…" She kisses the valley between her breasts and the brunette just pulls her head back up, claiming her mouth as hers. She kisses Quinn with all she has, leaving them breathless for all the air she has stolen from both their lungs.
"I never…I never felt this way with anyone else." She whispers against her swollen lips.
"No one?" Quinn knows better than bringing his name up now, but she knows Rachel has gotten what she meant.
"No one." Rachel drops their foreheads together. She looks down into her eyes, caressing her face with her fingers until their hands tangle together, between their chests.
"I feel the same." She nods softly. "This is more than I've ever dreamt of."
"You thought about this?" She pushes her forehead with hers and then tilts her head to the side, kissing her softly.
She kisses Quinn again, lips parting and tongues slowly gliding each other.
She can taste herself on Quinn and it drives her crazy.
"Of course I did. I've wanted you for years." She leaves her with a promising kiss that tastes like her. "But I just…I thought it'd never happen."
"You should have told me." Rachel cups her face. "You could have said it back then and-"
"You can't change your past, Rachel." Quinn shakes her head. "I just want to live this moment with you, for as long as it lasts."
Rachel can just push her back against the mattress and cover her body with hers.
She can only throw the blanket over their heads and resume from what they've left things off.
They can live this moment keeping the world outside, as long as it lasts.
THE END
Music References:
Moon River - Audrey Hepburn's version
Harvest Moon - Neil Young