Today, my supposedly heterosexual boyfriend dumped me for my best friend and musical arch rival who is both a boy and his new stepbrother. FML
Rachel stood frozen in the open doorway, staring across the lunchroom at Kurt and Finn, sitting together. Even as teammates and new stepbrothers, they had never sat together before, or really interacted much at school outside of Glee Club. But now they were sitting on the same side of the table, Kurt looking up at Finn and laughing at some joke or other. They weren't being obvious, they weren't touching or gazing at each other longingly or bursting into a romantic duet...but she could see the differences. Maybe because she knew.
Today was Friday. Five days since Finn had come to her to tell her that he had to break up with her, and why. Five days and it still didn't seem real, and it hurt to see them together, and it wasn't fair. She couldn't even explain to anyone what had happened, couldn't accidentally out Finn or expose Kurt to the kind of backlash he would undoubtedly get from Finn's football teammates if they found out. Rachel knew people thought she could be selfish and crazy when she didn't get something she wanted, but there were lines even she would not cross. That didn't make it any easier.
Not feeling very hungry after all, Rachel turned and walked out of the lunchroom. For once she was quiet, and fervently hoped that no one would notice her departure.
Another week went by, then two, then three. It started to get easier, if not less strange, to see Finn and Kurt attached at the hip. If anyone else noticed anything strange about this, they didn't comment. At least, not until the day Finn sang "Sweet Child O' Mine" in Glee Club and looked at Kurt the entire time. Then Puck had a few things to say, amounting-to everyone's surprise including Kurt's-to threatening Finn's bodily integrity if he ever messed around and broke Kurt's heart. Quinn was conspicuously silent, and everyone looked at Rachel, waiting for a reaction.
She stood up slowly, arms wrapped around her front with her hands clutching her elbows, and walked out of the choir room. For the second time in her life, she wished her exist could go unnoticed.
Quinn found her outside on the bleachers. She sat down beside her, staring out at the field and not saying a word.
Rachel wiped hastily at her face, not wanting anyone to see her cry. She felt like an idiot, because she realized that a small part of her had still been hoping this would all go away. Somewhere, deep down, she had still been convinced that she and Finn were meant to be, and that he would eventually realize that. She wasn't sure what she hated more; the fact that it clearly wasn't the case, or the fact that she was wishing this kind of heartbreak on one of her best friends for the sake of her own happiness.
"So...I guess Finn finally made his choice," Quinn said after Rachel had composed herself. Her voice sounded oddly empty of emotion.
"I suppose he has," Rachel replied, trying not to sound as hurt as she felt.
"Funny...to tell you the truth, I always thought it would be you."
Rachel made a strangled noise at that, staring determinedly down at her hands as she willed her eyes not to shed anymore tears. She felt rather than saw Quinn turn to her.
"I'm sorry about this, Rachel," she said softly. "Finn may have been my boyfriend, but he was your first love. I'm so sorry it didn't work out."
"Really?" Rachel said, trying to keep the bitterness out of her voice. "I thought you'd be pleased." Quinn made a scoffing noise at that.
"You know, I don't hate you," she said softly. "You've actually been a really good friend to me, even when I wasn't very nice to you. You've always been honest with me. I don't actually enjoy seeing you hurt."
Rachel looked up and gave Quinn a watery smile.
"I want to be happy for them," she admitted. "I really do. Kurt hasn't been this happy as long as I've known him, and Finn...Finn's better with Kurt. He's nicer, braver...he's a lot of things I never brought out in him." She looked down at her hands again. Quinn wrapped an arm around her shoulders, and Rachel leaned into the unexpected contact, resting her head on Quinn's shoulder lightly.
"We're the two girls who lost our boyfriend to Kurt Hummel," Quinn mused quietly. "Well, if it had to be a boy at least it was the only boy in the world who's actually as pretty as me."
And for some reason, Rachel found that hilarious. She tried to hold in her snort of laughter, but it came anyway, and before she knew it she and Quinn were holding onto each other, giggling their heads off. It felt good. It felt like a friendship that Rachel was going to want to hold onto.
Ten Years Later
"Kurt! Have you seen my blue tie?"
Kurt stuck his head out of the bathroom and yelled down the hall in the general direction of the bedroom.
"The cadet blue or the cerulean?"
"Dude, I don't know the difference! The bright one!" Kurt sighed, shaking his head. You'd think after this long, Finn would learn the difference.
"It should be hanging on the tie rack in the closet."
"Oh, right. Thanks!"
Kurt smiled to himself a little before going back to putting the finishing touches on his hair in the mirror. Sometimes living with Finn was like having a boyfriend, a teenaged child, and a large pet all at the same time. Not that he would ever express that sentiment; Finn had developed a truly horrifyingly sad puppy face over the years, and the last thing Kurt wanted was to see those brown eyes go big and sad at him. It worked every time, which was frustrating beyond all belief.
"Finn," he called as he turned away from the mirror, "I hope you're almost ready. If we're late Rachel will skin us alive."
"Nah," came Finn's voice from the bedroom, muffled slightly. "She'll probably just shriek at us until we're deaf."
"That is much worse," Kurt said primly, stepping into their room to inspect Finn's suit. "Oh, honey. Here. Let me."
He stepped up close and reached out to fix Finn's hopelessly crooked tie. Finn grinned sheepishly down at him, and planted a kiss on his nose when he was done by way of thanks. Kurt felt his heart flip over, and it was really utterly unfair that Finn could still do that to him after this long.
"You look nice," he said, almost shyly. Finn grinned from ear to ear, that sunshine grin that made him feel like he'd done something incredibly right.
"Thanks, Kurt," Finn replied. "So do you."
"Well, shall we?" Kurt stepped to the side and offered his arm, and Finn took it with a smile. They walked in perfect step despite the obvious height difference, synced up the way people who spend every day together tend to be. Because since they were sixteen years old, Finn and Kurt had rarely gone a single day without seeing or talking to each other. Through the rest of high school, through colleges in different states, through awkward explanations and even through the occasional falling out-because no one is perfect after all-they had stuck by one another. Every day that painfully uncertain future that Kurt wanted so badly in the beginning became clearer, closer, less uncertain...until here they were, ten years together with no sign of either of them ever letting go. It made his heart ache in the best way possible to think about it. He stopped Finn at the front door, turning to pull him in for a kiss that, though meant to be quick and chaste, lasted several minutes and had both their heads spinning and hearts pounding.
Finn was the first to pull back, staring down at Kurt with a mix of adoration and confusion.
"What was that for?" He asked. Kurt grinned and stepped back to the side, taking him by the arm and leading him out towards the car.
"Oh, just...the last ten years." Finn chuckled beside him.
"Yeah," he said. "Who would've thought we'd make it work?"
"Hmm," Kurt said. "Wonders never cease. Honestly, I don't really think that, after today, you and I making it work is the most surprising thing that's ever happened in our little group of misfits."
"Really?" Finn countered. "Then what is?"
Kurt turned and rolled his eyes at Finn, as if the answer should be obvious.
"Duh, Finn. Rachel and Quinn getting married!"
Finn laughed as they got in the car. He had to agree.
Author's Note: Okay, I don't know why I suddenly decided to come back and finish this, but I did. I hope you liked it! I'm sorry about the abrupt ending but really, this one was never going to be longer than 4 or 5 chapters. It was supposed to be a one shot but then it grew a little out of itself. Also, looking back on it now I kind of dislike a lot of the choices I made. I was relatively new to fanfiction and the Glee fandom, and a lot of my impressions of the characters were heavily influenced by fanon as opposed to canon. Which is why Kurt is a delicate blushing flower in this instead of the stubborn, interesting, gorgeous, wonderful, flawed, sexy-as-fuck, confident person that he is in canon. He also says "Gaga" instead of God, and boy do I shudder when I read that. I apologize profusely.
That being said, if any of you bothered to come back to read the final chapter, I really hope you enjoyed it!