since the actor thing has been shot to hell on the show this may or may not be the last actor Finn fic I do, because as much as I enjoy the idea of him being an actor, to be honest I kind of prefer Soldier Finn, Firefighter Finn, and sensitive tough guy in general Finn fics anyway, but this should still be a lot of fun. A lot of readers have been asking what Rachel looks like, whether she's truly disfigured or just insecure, to answer your question, it's both, but moreso the latter. If you've seen the Twilight movies (and I'm pretty ashamed to admit that I have and didn't hate them as much as I wanted to) picture Sam's girlfriend Emily and you can gauge the level of damage to Rachel's face, except one of her eyes is a little bigger than the other. Sorry for the oppressively long wait on this guys, this should be the last long delay in updates.
The morning couldn't have gone better, being alone with Finn, eating breakfast, watching the news, being alone with Finn, taking a nice hot shower, being alone with Finn, the more time she spends with him the more time she wants to spend with him, and she hopes that he feels the same. The way they talked and laughed all morning reminded her of being with an old friend, an old friend who's clothes she desperately wanted to rip off, but she wouldn't think too much about that. Now as they walk to the pizzeria for lunch all she can think about is whether this counts as a date or not, no, it's not a date, surely the furthest thing from Finn's mind is dating after the trauma he went through, still, she tries not to blush as she leads him down the busy city sidewalk, her arm linked with his as they stroll. She knows he can't see her blushing, but he can probably picture it in his mind based on the rhythm of her voice as she describes the sights to him. The obvious answer would of course be to stop talking all together, but that's never been easy for her, especially when nervous, and she promised herself that she would help Finn in any way she could, so she continues narrating their walk as Finn listens intently.
"This is on of my favorite buildings, she says as they pass an old church on fifth street. "I especially love the gargoyles in front, the smallest one is a dead ringer for Bob Hoskins."
"The guy from Who framed Roger Rabbit? Finn asks amusedly.
"That's the one," she replies. "You know, I've never actually seen that movie'" she admits.
"Shut up," Finn says. "Did you like not have a childhood?"
"Not much of one, most of my childhood years were spent perfecting my pitch and mastering complicated dance routines."
"Can I ask you a personal question?" Finn continues. "If you don't mind."
"Okay, sure," she says, a little worried about what that entails.
"Why did you really give up on Broadway, I mean I know you have your cartoon show and that's great, but the way you talk about it Broadway kind of seems like it's been your lifelong dream, and so many voice actors do movies and stuff too, it seems like someone as talented as you could do both without breaking a sweat."
She knows she should tell him the real reason, but she still can't bring herself to.
"Well maybe one day I will," she says simply.
"Something tells me maybe doesn't really apply to you."
"It didn't used to," she admits.
"What changed?"
"I just had to learn that there's more to life than getting every little thing you want all the time."
"Even if you deserve it?"
"Who says I deserve it?"
"Well," he starts. "Me, for one."
And all she can do is sigh a little on the inside, wishing things were really that simple.
"Well I know this much, me and you are going to watch Roger Rabbit we have to right this wrong." He continues
"sounds like a plan," she agrees. "We owe it to young Rachel Berry as well as Bob Hoskins Gargoyle."
"I really wish I could see it," he says a bit sadly, and suddenly she can't help but feel bad about making everything sound so great.
"Well I'm confident you'll have your sight back before long Finn," she assures him. "Besides, I'm sure whatever you're picturing is much more interesting than what I'm seeing.
"Well," he starts. "Right now I'm picturing you." he says with a sly smile, and she can't help but blush even more.
"H-how do you picture me?" she stammers. And she knows she's just torturing herself because chances are he doesn't imagine a scarred freak when he thinks of her, he probably pictures someone blonde and flawless, like Quinn Fabray, it's just the way guys were, caught up in the fantasy of the perfect woman.
"Well according to Kurt you have a beautiful smile," he says, making her breath catch a little in her throat. "I have to admit that's what I thought when I first heard your voice." this man is going to be the death of me she thinks silently to herself.
"What else did Kurt tell you?" she says a bit nervously, surely Kurt knew that she wasn't ready to talk about her accident with Finn yet, he was the first person to meet her in years that treated her like a normal person, and she didn't want to lose that just yet.
"He told me you have great hair but he didn't say what color," Finn continues.
"Do I sound like a blonde or a brunette?" she says playfully, enjoying the game in spite of herself.
"Hmm..." he says, clearly deep in thought. "I'm thinking brunette, is that right?"
It shouldn't make her as happy as it does that he correctly guessed her hair color, still she can't help but shoot him a beaming smile.
"It's wrong isn't it?" he continues, clearly thrown off by her silence.
"No, you're right actually, I am a brunette," she continues. "Keep going, this is fun," and she regrets the words instantly, he's blind, there's nothing fun about it for him, but he doesn't seem offended, if anything he seems to agree with her.
"Okay, you're on the small side, I'm guessing 5'4""
"5'2"" actually," she says sheepishly.
"Wow, that is small," he blurts. "You know, not that I'm complaining."
"Well I have to admit there is a bit of a size difference," she says.
"Yeah if we wen't out you'd..." and she can't help but notice that he's blushing now too, and she so wishes he would finish that sentence, what would happen if they went out? And how bizarre is it that he's thought about them going out already too, bizarre yet exciting in a way she doesn't quite want to admit.
"You know just hypothetically if we went out I'd probably have to bend down pretty far, you know... To kiss you... not that I would try to kiss you or anything, although I'm sure at would be really nice... To kiss you." Finn rambles nervously, and she's pretty sure that they're matching shades of beet red at this point, If his handsome face and sexy voice and effortless kindness didn't turn her into goo by the end of the day his bumbling charm would do the trick.
"I'm sorry that came out wrong," he continues.
"Finn, it's okay," she says, giggling a bit. And at that they continue their trek through the city.
As they arrive at the pizzeria Finn's eyes flutter closed and a smile graces his features at the intoxicating smell, and she knew it would be a treat for him, Eddie's Pizzeria was pleasing to all of the senses, even the ears, she loved the old timey Italian tunes they played over the stereo here. She describes the charming hole in the wall place to him in detail as they wait in line and he nods along, picturing the black and white checkered floors and colorful murals and open kitchen, with the pizza cooks entertaining the patrons in back with their acrobatic dough tossing.
"So Finn, what would you like?" she says as they reach the front of the line.
"Well my favorite pizza is Hawaiian," he says as if it's a question.
"Eddie, two slices of Hawaiian pizza for my friend here, and the usual for me," Rachel says.
"You come to an authentic Italian Pizzeria and you order the Hawaiian?" Eddie says, shaking his head. "It's bad enough that I have to make a vegan slice for this one, the vegan pizza was my daughter's doing by the way."
"Don't be such a pain Eddie, I have it on good authority that both the Bacon lovers pizza and the Southwestern chicken pizza were your brilliant innovations, and the less said about the Tennessee barbecue pizza the better," Rachel protests.
"Hey that happens to be Guiliani's favorite," Eddie says defensively. "and novelties aside you can't argue that I make the best damn pizza in seven continents."
"Well, I've had Pizza in Italy," Finn says, "Do you really think you can do any better?" he continues teasingly, Making Rachel chuckle a bit into her hand,
"If I can't it's on the house," Eddie says confidently.
"I'll take that bet," Finn says, extending his hand for Eddie to shake and accidentally knocking over the tip jar.
"Oh man, I'm so sorry," Finn says frantically.
"Don't worry about it, for a second there I thought you just had a thing about looking people in the eye," Eddie says genially.
"I have to admit I feel a bit less smooth now, but bet's still on." Finn says. "I'm looking forward to my free pizza.
"You're alright Kid," Eddie laughs, jotting down their pizza order. "You hold onto this one Berry."
"Oh, he's not my boyfriend," she says, and she hopes Finn doesn't notice the disappointment in her voice at the statement.
"Well I have to admit that was the best seven dollars I've ever lost," Finn says as they exit Eddie's, arms still linked.
"Good right?" Rachel beams.
"But I bet you know all the best places."
"Well not to brag, but yes, even if it is mostly thanks to Kurt. But I'd love to take you around sometime when I don't have work."
"Well I'd love to be taken around," he says with a warm smile. And she smiles back, she bets that he has the best smile in the whole world when he can use his eyes, even now it's pretty close to perfect. They continue to walk together and she continues to describe things, and he listens and asks questions and sometimes the questions lead to conversations which cause her to get off track in describing New York, but she doesn't beat herself up about it too much who wouldn't lose track with him in their presence?
As they approach the studio she takes notice of a particular street vendor nearby, she usually doesn't pay much mind to the sunglasses guy since he looks unfriendly and so often making the glaring mistake of hawking his wares on overcast days, but this time she stops.
"Are we here?" Finn asks.
"Just about, I'm just making a little stop," she explains as she scans the inventory of shades, finally settling on the perfect pair for Finn, a sleek pair of black aviators.
"I'll take these," she says, getting out her money and handing them to the surly vendor, who wordlessly takes the money and hands her the change.
"You'll take what?" Finn says, confused.
"Just a gift, " Rachel says. "I'm about to put a pair of sunglasses on you." she says putting them on Finn, who doesn't protest.
"They aren't those weird boxy kind you see on a lot of blind guys are they?" Finn asks.
"No these happen to be extremely cool and sexy," she says, hoping he doesn't think it's weird that she used the word sexy, in her defense she used it describe the glasses, not him, nothing forward about at at all.
"How do I look?" he says with a smile.
"Very handsome," she says truthfully, okay, now that was a little forward, but he doesn't seem to mind.
"Thanks Finn says, "But you know, you didn't have to buy me a gift," he says as they continue toward the studio. "You've already been like super sweet to me."
"I really don't see how I could not be," she says. "You've been sweet right back," she says, unconsciously leaning into him a little as they enter the studio arm in arm, and she's not sure if she's imagining this but she thinks he holds her arm a bit tighter in response. She likes being this close to him, it makes her feel nervous in a good way, and she enoys the way he smells and how strong his body feels, it doesn't feel like she's doing a blind guy a favor by leading him around, she feels like a girl walking entwined with the guy she likes, and she imagines that's what people see when they look at them together.
As they enter the recording studio, she has to admit she's a little shocked by Noah's presence there, he's never once been there before her, the fact that he came early would delight her if it weren't so foreign, but once she looks past him and sees the likely cause of his promptness, she can't help but deflate a little, maybe Quinn decided to take Puck up on his offer of studio time after all.
"Quinn, what are you doing here?" Rachel says, wishing she could make herself feel more happy to see her, the truth is, she liked Quinn, she liked her confidence and her no nonsense attitude, but the last person she wanted imposing on her and Finn's perfect day together was the love child of Grace Kelly and Cinderella.
"Actually a little birdie name Puck told me that you were bringing an honest to god Elizabethan actor along with you." Quinn says, looking past Rachel to Finn and making the irrational jealousy start to rear it's ugly head already, why should she be jealous of Quinn in this situation, Finn couldn't even see her, yet there it was, unmistakable jealousy.
"Yeah, she came to meet Finn, I've invited her to the studio a dozen times and she finally comes to meet the Shakespeare expert," Puck says, and there it is again, jealousy, this time in Puck's voice.
"I'm not really an expert," Finn says modestly. "I pretty much just say the lines in an English accent."
"an incredibly convincing one," Rachel says truthfully "I had him do his Romeo for me earlier today."
"But Romeo was Italian," Quinn corrects.
"British, the catch-all accent of Shakespearean performers," Rachel says nervously.
"They've been doing it that way for years, I guess they figure why stop now?" Finn adds.
"That must be really interesting," Quinn says and Rachel isn't quite comfortable with jus t how interested she seems. "Acting on a real live London stage. I'd love it if you could come talk to my class about it, I teach middle school drama."
"Wow, that's really cool," Finn says. "It must be really rewarding to work with kids."
"Well why don't you see for yourself," Quinn says. "I mean I know it's a lot to ask with everything you've been through, I heard about your accident and I'm very sor-"
"I'd love to," Finn says, cutting her off, and that pang of jealousy strikes again with how excited he seems, Rachel wonders if he can tell somehow how ridiculously beautiful the girl he's talking to is, even if he can't he'll be able to see again someday, and as that realization surfaces again she realizes just how unrealistic it would be to pursue anything with Finn, the second he gets his sight back it's over, so why should she bother?
"Great," Quinn says, as Rachel begins to feel herself fading from the room. "Maybe we can discuss the lesson plan over dinner tomorrow night."
"Okay, Finn says, without the slightest bit of hesitation, and with that response the fantasy of Rachel and Finn once again becomes just that, a fantasy. "Can Rachel come too?"
She perks up a bit at his words but tries not to get her hopes up too high. "Finn if you need someone to help you around I'm sure Kurt would be happy to," Rachel says dejectedly.
"Yeah, that's true," Finn says, making Rachel deflate again. "If that were the reason I was asking."
Rachel perks back up again and smiles. "Um, I guess that would be alright," Quinn says, clearly a bit miffed.
Maybe if just for while, it didn't have to be just a fantasy after all.
Stay tuned folks!