A/N: We're back! Day two! It's Nationals during their senior year, and Rachel and Quinn end up in the same hotel room, and, well, I'm sure you can guess the rest.
Day 2: Cuddling Somewhere
"You have to be kidding me."
Quinn knew Mr. Schue was dumb, but she didn't think he was this stupid.
"What's up?" Brittany asked, having heard Quinn's comment.
She walked over to where Quinn was standing, right outside Mr. Schue's office, and looked at the sheet of paper that had Quinn nearly fuming.
Brittany smiled when she read it. "Oh! We're rooming together for Nationals! This will be so much fun!"
"Yeah, we are…" Quinn trailed off.
She and Brittany were rooming together for Nationals. With Santana. And Rachel. Quinn, Brittany, Santana, and Rachel, all together in one room. With two beds. And, considering the fact that Brittany and Santana were, you know, dating, it's just Quinn's luck that she's gonna end up sleeping in a bed next to Rachel Berry.
Santana walked in and headed straight toward where the two blondes were standing. After reading the paper, Santana just laughed and grabbed her girlfriend's hand.
"Have fun with that, Q." She said, and Quinn rolled her eyes and walked to her seat in the risers. Just then, Rachel entered the room and immediately walked directly up to Quinn.
"Hi! I'm not sure if you've seen, but it looks like we'll be rooming together for Nationals in Chicago!" Rachel said brightly.
Quinn forced a smile onto her face. "Yeah, I saw. Should be fun."
But it wasn't going to be fun. Because it was her senior year, and she was so close to finishing high school and leaving the hellhole of Lima, Ohio, and leaving everyone and everything behind, and now she was going to have to spend two nights in a bed with Rachel Fucking Berry, the girl whom Quinn has recently come to terms with her crush on.
She was so close. And, now, they are going to be so close, in a bed together, and Quinn doesn't know if she can take it.
"I was a bit surprised that all of us girls weren't thrown into a single room together like last year, but I suppose we could afford a few extra rooms this year." Rachel said.
Quinn raised an eyebrow. "Does that mean that Tina and Mercedes have a room to themselves?" That didn't seem right.
"No, Kurt is with them." Rachel explained. "I actually managed to convince Mr. Schue to let Kurt room with them, and he agreed as long as Kurt wouldn't be sharing a bed with either of them. Hence the reason why I offered to join the room with you, Santana, and Brittany."
"Huh, that's… really nice of you, actually." Quinn said.
Rachel smiled politely. "Yes, well, I remember Kurt complaining about the rooming situation in New York last year. I just hope I'm not imposing on you at all."
"No, not at all." Quinn lied. "Like I said, it should be fun."
"Great!" Rachel grinned, and Quinn couldn't stop herself from smiling right back.
Well, Quinn thought, This will be awful.
The first night, Quinn was nervous. Extremely nervous.
It had been a long day of bus rides and sightseeing around downtown Chicago. Her legs and lower back were aching after all the walking, especially considering she had just relearned to walk within the past two months. She had gained a slight limp in her step that became more and more noticeable as the day went on, and all she wanted to do was to climb in bed and relax.
Except she couldn't exactly do that with Rachel lying right beside her.
So, instead, she's decided that she'll sleep on the small armchair in the corner of the room. Not the most comfortable, not by a long shot, but she knows she'll sleep better there than if she were laying next to Rachel, no matter how much her back will hate her for it in the morning.
She had just gotten out of the bathroom after showering and was putting her things away in her suitcase when Rachel asked, "Quinn, which side of the bed do you prefer?"
Quinn watched Brittany and Santana disappear into the bathroom behind her to do God knows what, and she sighed. "I'm actually gonna take the armchair tonight."
Rachel was shocked. "Absolutely not, Quinn."
"Absolutely yes." Quinn retorted, stealing a pillow and blanket from the other bed.
Rachel walked over and grabbed the offending items from her. "No, you're not. Especially not with how much pain you're clearly in right now." She paused to gesture to Quinn's legs. "If it makes you that uncomfortable sleeping next to me, I will take the armchair, but I won't let you sleep there."
Quinn's jaw dropped. "No, that's not it, Rachel." She needed an excuse, and she needed one fast. "I just… tend to take up a lot of space when I sleep, and I don't want to make you uncomfortable."
Well, at least it wasn't a total lie.
"I assure you, Quinn, I won't be uncomfortable." Rachel insisted. "But I will be uncomfortable if you sleep in that chair when there is a perfectly good bed right here."
Quinn eyed the bed hesitantly. It was so tempting, and it was queen-sized; it wasn't like they would be cramming themselves into a tiny twin-sized bed. And her back was aching, and her legs were dying for a break, and Quinn really didn't want to sleep in that fucking armchair.
She looked at Rachel, her big brown eyes shining with genuine concern, and she knew she was gonna give in. "Fine, I won't sleep in the armchair. But you won't either. We'll just put up some pillows or something, so that I don't take up the entire bed."
"You could always just cuddle!" Brittany called from inside the bathroom. Santana's laughter rang loudly as both Quinn and Rachel blushed.
"And how exactly would that help?" Quinn called back, ignoring the fierce red tint on her cheeks.
The door to the bathroom opened, and Brittany walked out in just a towel. "If you cuddle, you won't be worried about taking up too much space because you'll be touching each other anyway."
"Yeah, exactly." Santana agreed, head poking out of the doorway behind her girlfriend.
Quinn shook her head. "Thanks for the lovely suggestion guys, but I think pillows will do just fine." There was no way Quinn was about to get into a bed with Rachel Berry and cuddle with her. No way.
"Well," Rachel started, and Quinn spun around to look at her. "It-It's not the worst idea, actually."
Quinn was flabbergasted. "What?"
Rachel's blush deepened, and Quinn heard Santana snickering before Brittany pushed her back into the bathroom and closed the door behind them. Returning her attention to Rachel, Quinn raised her eyebrows expectantly.
"I-I mean… I would hate to think that you're confining yourself to only take up a certain amount of space rather than just being in whatever position you need to be comfortable." Rachel explained. "And, well, I won't lie and say that I don't sleep better when I'm cuddling someone or something rather than being by myself."
Quinn's mind raced with the idea of cuddling with Rachel, choosing to ignore the implication that the aforementioned "someone" was most likely Finn. Was she really gonna agree to this? To cuddle with Rachel, the girl she's had a massive crush on for weeks, months, maybe even years?
One look into Rachel's hopeful eyes, and Quinn was a goner.
She met Rachel's eyes and nodded, only slightly, before she grabbed her phone, charger, and book, set them on the nightstand, and climbed into the right side of the bed. She let out a deep sigh as her body molded into the soft mattress, and she was instantly glad that she chose this over the armchair. Even if it meant that she'd agreed to spend the night snuggled up with Rachel.
Quinn heard shuffling, then the pulling back of covers, and she felt the bed dip behind her as Rachel got in. Her heart rate picked up, and Quinn picked up her book in an attempt to distract her mind.
"How do you want to do this?" Rachel asked.
Quinn turned her head to look at her, and, wow. Seeing Rachel laying in bed next to her, her hair falling over her face, face free of any makeup, just looking so innocent and gorgeous… Quinn was way in over her head.
"I need to sleep on my back because of… my back, so…" Quinn said.
Rachel nodded. "Okay, so, do you mind if I just," She scooted closer, pressing herself into her side and lightly resting her head on Quinn's chest. "Lay like this?"
Quinn's heart was pounding so loudly in her ears; she really hoped Rachel couldn't feel it. "That works." She whispered.
She brought her arm around Rachel's back to hold her book back up in front of her, and Rachel only snuggled up closer to her because of it.
"Good night, Quinn." She murmured into her neck.
"Night, Rach." Quinn breathed out.
(It was the best night of sleep Quinn had gotten since before the accident, and she knew that the small brunette pressed into her side was the reason why.)
The next day, they won Nationals. It was exhilarating, and they had all been running on a high since the words "New Directions" had slipped from the judge's mouth. Hours later, after partying and celebrating in one of the boys' rooms, it was well past midnight, and everyone was retiring to their rooms for the night.
Rachel and Quinn made it back to their room to find Brittany and Santana already passed out in bed after having snuck out of the celebrations an hour earlier. Much to Quinn's relief, they were both (thankfully) clothed.
That would not have made for a fun end to her night, especially when she was about to get into bed with Rachel.
Rachel let her use the bathroom first, and Quinn got changed and quickly went through her routine. When she walked out, Rachel disappeared into the bathroom behind her, and Quinn got herself settled into bed. A few minutes later, Rachel walked out in short shorts and a thin tank top, set her things down in the corner of the room, and climbed into the bed next to Quinn.
As she got into bed, Quinn leaned over to shut the lamp light off, submerging them in darkness. Without hesitation, Rachel moved closer to Quinn and snuggled up to her once she had laid back down. Quinn, in turn, placed her arm around Rachel's back, much like the position they had been in the previous night.
It felt right. Quinn knew she was wrong for thinking that, but it was true. It felt right.
"Today was such a great day." Rachel whispered.
"Yeah, it really was." Quinn agreed. She felt Rachel moving, and she turned her head to see Rachel looking up at her, barely visible in the darkness.
"Can I tell you something?" Rachel asked.
"Of course." Quinn said.
Rachel exhaled heavily, and the feeling of her breath hitting Quinn's collarbone sent shivers up her spine. Rachel murmured, "I… don't think I want to marry Finn."
Quinn's breath caught in her throat. "You don't?"
"No," Rachel stated. "Not anymore, at least. I'm not really sure if I ever actually did."
"Oh." Quinn breathed. What was she supposed to say? She could ask why, or she could offer her support, or she could say I told you so, although Quinn knew that last option would not be accepted very well.
Instead, Rachel kept talking. "I keep trying to imagine my future with him, spending the rest of my life with him, and I feel more trapped than free when I think about it. And that isn't how marriage is supposed to be. Marriage is supposed to make me feel happy and content and safe, knowing that I have someone who will always love me, but I just don't feel that way when I think about marrying Finn. I feel like that when I think of my dads' marriage, and my friendship with Kurt, a-and spending time with you."
Quinn's heart ached. Rachel's words rang so true in her mind and in her heart but in all of the wrong ways. "Have you told him?"
"No, not yet." Rachel admitted. "I haven't told anyone yet, besides you. I just–I'm not crazy, right? I shouldn't be feeling this way about the man I'm supposed to marry, right?"
"No, you're not crazy. Not at all." Quinn assured her. "If you don't think it's right, then it's not right. And you know I support you, no matter what, right?"
Rachel pressed closer to Quinn, tucking her head into the crook of her neck. "Thank you. And, yes, I know that."
"You deserve real love, Rachel, the best kind of love." Quinn said before she could stop herself.
Rachel lifted her head up, and their eyes met, Rachel's shining with something Quinn had never seen before. It was gorgeous. She was gorgeous. And she was her friend.
"Thank you, Quinn. You do, too." Rachel said sincerely. "I'm so glad to have you in my life."
She pressed a kiss to Quinn's cheek and rested her head back down on her shoulder. Quinn tilted her head to rest against Rachel's, her heart beating strongly in her chest.
"Me too."