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Quinn's head was heavy when she awoke the next morning. A delicate frown played upon her lips, grumpy that her back still hurt and that the ache was shooting up her spine and into her neck. Letting out a tiny groan, the blonde opened her eyes and squinted through the hazy light that was spilling out from behind the curtains of the window. She suddenly felt uncomfortable and confused, not recognizing the light pink walls nor the overwhelming but pleasant scent of white tea. Hazel eyes flicking downward, the blonde froze and bit her lip, now realizing why she felt oddly warm in the light sheets.
Nuzzled in Quinn's neck was the nose of Rachel Berry, her long chocolate locks hanging softly in front of her face. Small, peaceful breaths fell warmly against the blonde's porcelain skin and the petite girl had managed to snuggle up against Quinn's side in her sleep. Realizing that her arm was resting gently around the brunette's waist, she pulled away slowly before taking a deep breath, watching Rachel's chest rise and fall against her as she slept.
Feeling substantially awkward, the blonde patted Rachel's back lightly before clearing her throat.
"Berry," she croaked, her throat rough from crying the night before. The tiny girl stirred a bit, burrowing her face further against Quinn's skin. Blinking, the blonde found herself letting out a breathy chuckle and she shook the diva gently before squinting at the alarm clock on the nightstand.
"Hey, Tinkerbell, wake up. School is in an hour."
Rachel's breath hitched against Quinn's throat, making the blonde shiver. Within seconds the brunette was up and out of bed, keeping a safe distance between herself and the ex cheerio.
"Sorry!" the diva peeped, looking anywhere but Quinn as she ran a nervous hand through her hair, "I didn't mean to, y-you know, be all over you like that. I've been known to be a clingy sleeper." Rachel threw her an apologetic glance, brown eyes panicked.
Quinn rubbed her eyes, sitting up, feeling a little dizzy and almost cold after the brunette had fled.
"It's fine," she murmured, giving Rachel a tight smile before running a hand absentmindedly against her stinging cheek. The smile fell from her lips as the events from last night flooded her memory and she stiffened in anxiety.
Rachel's nose wrinkled in concern and she took a step toward her bed. "How're you feeling, Quinn? Did you sleep alright?" she asked quietly, not exactly sure how to approach the broken girl.
Quinn nodded, unconsciously rubbing her hip where she was sure a bruise must have formed. Now that it was morning and her mind wasn't fogged over with such intense grief, the blonde felt her walls build themselves back up as she looked over to the slightly disheveled brunette.
"I, uh, have a change of clothes in my car," she began in an embarrassed mumble, stepping out from under the covers. Brushing some of her honey locks out of her eyes, Quinn stammered, "Thank you for…yeah." She motioned weakly to the rumpled sheets, rubbing the back of her neck.
Rachel nodded quickly, her eyes scanning over the blonde. She smiled a small, envious smile at how poised and flawless Quinn still managed to look in the morning.
"Feel free to use my shower; I assume you must have somewhat of a headache this morning and hot water will definitely take away any pain," she began, leaning over to tidy up her bed. Smoothing out her duvet, the diva began to mumble quietly to herself, "Not that you'd need one otherwise, of course you look perfect in the morning." Rachel began to fluff her pillows with extra vigor, trying to work past her jealousy.
Quinn on the other hand happened to decipher the diva's personal rambles and she felt her face flush as she watched the tiny girl beat at the pillow. Though she had been complimented various times throughout her life, it felt different coming from Rachel. Taken aback by these new feelings, Quinn began to back out of the room.
"Thanks, Rachel. A shower sounds nice." With that the blonde scurried away to get her gym bag, hoping that fresh air and a hot shower would clear her mind.
Now alone, Rachel pumped her fist in the air, quietly celebrating to herself that Quinn addressed her by her first name, rather than some ugly insult. Though the blonde had probably done it out of guilt, Rachel felt satisfied, but something in the back of her mind was trying to bring her out of her victory dance.
Then it hit her.
Jumping a foot in the air, the brunette sprinted out of the room and down the stairs, just catching sight of Quinn leave the house. Coming from around the corner was her father staring at the retreating blonde with wide, disturbed eyes.
Leroy Berry was a warm, sensitive man, tall with compassionate eyes and a creamy dark complexion. But seeing the young blonde walking carelessly from his daughter's room, in his daughter's clothing, made him grip his coffee mug a bit tighter.
Rachel stopped at the bottom of the stairs, flustered and out of breath, receiving an uneasy stare from her father.
"Dad—I can explain," the diva wheezed, placing a hand on her chest as she caught her breath.
Leroy cleared his throat and set down his coffee, letting out a weary breath before moving towards the mirror that hung in the hallway. As he straightened his tie for work, the man glanced cautiously over at Rachel, looking her up and down.
"Sweetheart, if you're gay, this is definitely not the way to go about it," he began in a low voice, trying to wipe images of his daughter being intimate from his mind.
Thoroughly freaked out by the statement, a look of terror splashed across Rachel's face.
"Dad, she's just a friend!" she hissed in a whisper, horrified that Quinn might have heard. She placed a hand on her father's arm and dragged him around the corner.
"I saw her crying in St. Mary's parking lot after church choir yesterday," she murmured under her breath, "And she has quite a bruise on her cheek. I think she ran away from home." Rachel's brown eyes flashed with concern as she looked desperately up at her Dad, "She needed a place to sleep."
At that moment, Quinn reentered the Berry household again, hazel eyes downtrodden and distracted as she slumped her way up the stairs, a small black gym back slung over her shoulder.
Leroy sighed and nodded in understanding, reaching out and tucking some of Rachel's hair behind her ear. "Alright. Just give me a heads up next time, alright, little star?"
The diva nodded bashfully at the nickname, smiling up and propping herself up on her toes to help with her father's tie.
Ruffling his daughter's hair, he spoke quietly, "Thanks, honey. I have to get to work but if this blonde beauty is staying here another night, I want to be introduced."
Rachel gave him a quirky smile, "Her name's Quinn, and yes of course." She kissed his cheek before throwing her small arms tightly around his middle. "Love you, Dad."
Leroy smiled and hugged his daughter to him for a moment. "I love you too, sweetie. Daddy left early for a meeting, so make sure you lock the door when you leave with Miss Quinn."
Chuckling, the tiny diva waved her father goodbye before making her way back to her room.
xxx
Rachel was momentarily flustered when met with a towel clad Quinn who had stepped out of the bathroom to retrieve forgotten clothing, but everything from then on was surreally peaceful.
The blonde showered for a few minutes, letting the hot water beat down on her neck as she practically drooled over the white tea body wash of Rachel's. Not that she'd let the midget know how amazing it smelled, but she figured she could enjoy it privately. As she pulled a dark green dress made of thin cotton from her bag, Quinn noticed the bruise on her hip and swallowed back fresh tears, dreading the thought of seeing her father again. Sighing heavily, the blonde towel dried her hair and let it fall in a smooth, fair curtain that framed her face. She tried her best to avoid looking at herself in the mirror while she did so, not wanting to accept the anguish that must have settled into her skin.
Rachel quickly slipped in and out of the shower after Quinn was finished, but it didn't go unnoticed that the blonde had used some of her body wash. This left quite the smirk on the diva's lips as she straightened her hair.
"She thinks I smell pretty," Rachel sang happily to herself, placing tiny hands on her hips as she looked into the mirror at her chosen attire. Clinging warmly to her body was a dark blue top with white polka dots, a gray skirt hugging her waist. Finished with white tights, black shoes and a delicate star necklace, Rachel confidently left the bathroom.
Closing the door behind her, Rachel turned to see the blonde angel looking at her reflection in the mirror, her finger tips grazing over the reddened skin of her cheek. The brunette approached Quinn in the silence and wordlessly reached out, tilting the blonde's face towards hers. Rachel softly tucked some of the golden locks behind Quinn's ear before inspecting the damage left on the pale cheek.
Quinn's watery hazel eyes glazed over as the diva ran her fingers over the bruise. Then, with a small nod, Rachel opened one of the drawers on her nightstand and pulled out a small silver tin of power along with a soft makeup brush. The both of them remained silent as Rachel dipped the brush into the fair power and brought it to the blonde's cheek, her movements gentle and slow as the redness faded away.
The blonde's eyes had fluttered shut at Rachel's tenderness, and once the brunette had finished she opened her eyes to see the girl's lips tug upwards into a soft smile.
"I won't tell anyone, but you should," Rachel murmured, putting the makeup back in her drawer, and Quinn nodded slowly, confused as to why the diva's movements had put her in such a trance. Smiling a little, the blonde spoke quietly.
"Let me drive you to school. It's the least I can do."
xxx
Soon the pair was zooming away in Quinn's silver car with the windows rolled down, enjoying the fresh air of the breezy May morning. Thankfully the storm had passed overnight and the wind was now crisp and refreshing.
Rachel, who had been looking down at her hands in her lap for the past couple of minutes decided to speak.
"I wanted to thank you, Quinn. For what you said yesterday." She glanced over at the blonde, who was raising an eyebrow, honey locks rustling softly in the breeze as she remained silent. "Finn is your boyfriend and I shouldn't be trying to court him. It was rude of me and I apologize," she paused for a moment, her voice strained now, "Like you said, he would only hold me back from achieving stardom."
Quinn nodded vaguely. Looking back on how she screamed at her, she felt particularly guilty, seeing as how the rest of the day went for the both of them. Earlier when Rachel was showering she had gone through her neglected cell phone, assuring Finn via text that everything was okay.
She was hesitating telling Finn about what had happened with her father, knowing that his temper would most likely take over and unwanted attention would be thrown in her direction. Instead she told him that she spent the night at Santana's and that the Latina had hid her phone.
Soon Quinn's car was pulling to a gentle stop in the McKinley parking lot and the girls remained motionless as blonde turned off the engine.
Letting out a breath, Quinn turned to Rachel, not knowing the words that would make up for all the brunette had done for her.
"Thank you," Quinn breathed, "For everything. I don't deserve any of the kindness you've given me. I've been so horrible to you," she gave Rachel a pained expression and the brunette reached over, placing a tiny hand on top of hers.
"I only ask one thing of you, Quinn," Rachel started seriously, those chocolate eyes hypnotizing.
"Anything."
Her brown eyes sparkled with mirth, "Keep calling me Rachel."
Quinn smiled and enveloped the tiny girl in a soft hug, trying to ignore the fuzzy warmth that came with Rachel's touch.
"Sounds great."
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Slushied!Rachel and Protective!Quinn arriving in chapter four. Stay tuned!