A/N:Round 2? Round 2! But before we start, my Tumblr's found under the title Kat's Cradle, because somehow the link from last chapter didn't make it here... Have fun with that!
2: Snowflake
Finn sets first a foot into New York City somewhere in late January. He plans not, to like, just randomly show up on Rachel's threshold, but maybe call first, test the waters, give her some time to decide whether she wants him in her life or not. That sounds like a good plan to him. It's just fair towards her. Better said it would've been fair. Little did he know he'd run into her in front of a coffeshop, after two days in the city. She looks good he notes, her bangs stopping primly right in line with her eyebrows, her cheeks and nose rosy from the biting temperatures. She's wearing a red duffel coat, about knee-length with big white buttons and thick black tights ending in black winter boots underneath. She has a little white hat, which fails to protect her chocolate locks from getting wet and she has also the fluffy white cashmere scarf on, the one he sent her for Hanukkah last year. He figures that can't really be a bad sign. He didn't even know if she got it on time. She looks at him eyes wide, lips slightly parted, only for a moment though. Then she slowly walks over to him, as if she's afraid he'll fade away she'll go too fast, stands on her tiptoes and wraps her arms around his neck. He's so confused by that reaction, he just, like, sorta…stands there. But when she utters his name, only a breath against his neck carefully formed to a whispered 'Finn', he remembers to wrap his arms around her waist. He never loved hearing his name that much. She smells like apple blossoms and that peppermint body lotion she loves so much, and he can feel the smooth material of her woolen glove scraping against his neck, as she curls the fingers around the nape of his neck, her other hand is still holding a paper cup, she really does her best not burn him, but he can still fell the heat slowly seep through his own scarf. She pulls away after a moment eyes shut and a smile on her lips. He looks at her incredulously, waiting for a word, a reaction, really just anything. She opens her eyes, still smiling, tilting her head, to the left.
"What kept you so long, soldier?" She asks, grinning even more and he's even more confused, because is this really all? Doesn't she, like, want to slap him? He opens his mouth to respond, but gets stopped by her putting a finger against his lips. She bites her bottom lip and shakes her head lightly.
"Actually I don't want an answer, not now at least. We can talk later. Right now I just want to enjoy this moment. You know, it's funny how I pictured this moment so often, and in sixty five percent of the time I was a crying pile of mush, and before you ask in the other thirty-five percent I slapped you square across the face, right before kissing you senseless. Now I'm neither sad nor angry, instead I'm just happy, because you're here and you're here for me." She sways a little on the spot, before she starts to frown and drops from her tiptoes back to her feet.
"What's the matter?" He asks reaching out to tuck a strand of hair behind her ear. She blankly stares at him eyebrows knitted together, lips pressed to a tight line. She hesitates, nervously licking her bottom lip. "Rachel?" He murmurs softly, because he's slowly starting to panic, if she keeps looking at him like that. He enjoys how easy her name rolls off his tongue, like it just waited for him to let it go.
"I…you…" Rachel starts carefully, but then shakes her head to sort out her thoughts "Finn, you didn't come to say goodbye for good this time, right?" He nearly has a heart attack then. She can't really think that. She's clever. She can't think that.
"Why would I do that?" He questions, totally dumbfounded.
"Oh Jesus, Finn, I don't know, maybe you're planning on opening a surfing school in Haiti or spend the next fifteen years traveling the world or maybe you found a girl that's…" Oh. Okay. So that's what she's aiming at. But when she thinks he could've replaced her that easily, that also means she could have…
"Do you have a boyfriend?" He interrupts her, rather gruffly.
"Of course not!" She exclaims eyes wide; as if she's offended that he could even think that. He releases a breath he didn't realize he was holding. "But that doesn't answer my question." She reminds him, scowling.
"Only you." He tells her then and her features soften, but he's knows her well enough to know that she isn't completely happy with that answer.
"Only me what?Finn?" She pushes gently, taking a step closer to him; arms crossed in front of her chest, the contents of her cup swashing against the rim. He takes a step closer to her himself, cupping her cheeks, while locking his eyes with hers.
"You're the only one I found, and you're the only one I'd ever want to find, to be honest."
She bites her bottom lip and looks down but meets his gaze again immediately.
"Well, Finn Hudson, I happen to like honesty." She responds cheekily, fixing the lapels of his jacket.
"Yeah?" He asks, grinning, just as it starts to snow in thick, round flakes, like cotton swabs.
"Yeah." She mocks him, rolling her eyes, still holding onto his jacket "Quiet a lot, actually."
He only hums for an answer and then pulls her completely against him, burying his face in her hair. He feels her smile against his neck. This is it. This is right; this is how it's supposed to be. He's left home back, in Lima, Ohio and he found home again but this time in Rachel Berry, somewhere on a snowy Tuesday in the middle of New York City. Right when they pull apart, a snowflake lands on her bottom lip. He lifts his hand to wipe it away, but quickly changes his mind.
Instead, he kisses it away.
A/N2: Prompt me if you like, also I'm looking for someone to Beta me or, y'konw, kick my ass when I'm getting lazy. Leave something in my review-section and/or mailbox! Love, Kat.