HOLDIN' IT TOGETHER @fatefulsam-blog - Tumblr Blog

Nov 10, 2018

we’ve got tonight | samchel

TAGGING → Sam Evans & Rachel Berry (@forthrightrachel).

TIMEFRAME → Sometime at the start of Sam’s winter break, before the lodge trip.

LOCATION → Rachel’s house.

NOTES → Sam and Rachel have a game-and-movie night, and then they end up confessing their feelings for each other, but they come to a mutual agreement.

WARNINGS → Nothing more than kissing. Also this is long. You’ve been warned.

SAM

Sam was, overall, a simple man. It didn’t really take much to please him. That was why the board games became a thing. Originally intended as a distraction from the party scene with their wild group of friends, it quickly turned into something Sam simply enjoyed doing, and before he knew it, he and Rachel’s game nights became a regular thing. Quick games of Scattegories became long, intricate rounds of anything they could get their hands on, really. And Sam wouldn’t have it any other way. Board games were innocent, harmless fun. Plus, it’s not like it was the /worst/ thing in the world to have something to bond over with Rachel.

And bond over it they did, making sure they set aside time for it almost monthly, sometimes more. Though the past few months had admittedly been a little busier, with Sam getting his bearings in college and Rachel navigating her senior year. Not to mention the upcoming anniversary and all that came along with that. So this particular game night was long overdue, he figured, on his way up to Rachel’s front door with Apples to Apples and a short stack of DVDs tucked under his arm. There was also the added bonus of Sam getting to expose Rachel to the world of good horror movies. And, you know, staying the night, just...as a courtesy. Being a good friend. That’s just what Sam did. He had shot Rachel a text to let her know he was outside when he arrived, so he thought nothing of letting himself in. He poked his head through the door first, glancing around. “Uh...crap, what was it?” Sam paused, racking his brain until his mind settled on their decided password. His face lit up as he exclaimed, “Oh, Nosferatu!” and stepped the rest of the way in, shutting the door behind him.

RACHEL

She refused to admit why, but Rachel’s stomach fluttered with nerves as she waited for Sam’s arrival. She’d been keeping herself so busy with school, and extra writing in her free time, that her social life almost ceased to exist. And part of it was self inflicted, due to things she still doesn’t talk about out loud, but when it came to broadening her horizons, she could think of no one better than Sam to make this leap.

Her phone chimed in her hand as the text came through, and Rachel gave herself a quick once over before she was quickly padding down the stairs. Eyes were bright as Sam’s face came into view, and the declaration of their agreed password had her chuckling as she approached him. “I’m glad you remembered,” she said first, smile wide before she closed the space between them. Tip toes raised for Rachel to wrap her arms around his shoulders in a tight hug, and her eyes closed as she breathed in a moment of familiarity with ease. It used to be like this all the time—before last year, anyways.

Pulling back, her grin stretched as she nodded. “It’s good to see you again,” she admitted, chuckling slightly before she tossed a hand over her shoulder, pointing towards the kitchen. “I made some snacks for us to enjoy while we game and scare each other well into the morning,” she teased, leading the way as she spoke. “I hope you’re prepared for the best all nighter of your life, Evans.”

SAM

Sam’s free hand looped around Rachel’s waist in return, and maybe he lingered just a little too long with his hand still on the small of her back even after she moved away from him. What could he say? It was familiar and easy. So sue him. “You too,” he agreed, and it felt like a lot longer had passed by the time he finally let his hand drop back down to his side. The mention of snacks brought him right back down to earth. “Perfect. Can’t do it without the snacks.” His lips curled up into a smile as he moved to follow her, setting down the games and movies and shrugging off his coat to hang it up as he went.

Something about her insistence that it would be the best all nighter of his life had a chill running down Sam’s spine, but he did his best to ignore it. He always did, really. “The best?” he clarified, stopping once they reached the kitchen to lean against the doorway. His arms settled across his chest as he raised an eyebrow at her. “You seem pretty confident there. You think a couple of snacks makes it the best?” The teasing tone was obvious, and he didn’t even try to suppress his grin. “I’ll believe it when I see it. But I hope you realize that implies there is no vetoing any of the movies I brought.”

RACHEL

Her hands quickly rummaged through her refrigerator before she pulled out s small container of hummus. Setting it on the counter, she leveled him with a look as a brow raised in question of her ability to make all nighters entertaining. “Snacks don’t make it the best, but snacks certainly help the process. Even you can’t deny that.” Smirking, she turned, leaning up to grab some chip bags from the cabinet as well, before turning to carry them towards the living room.

“I won’t veto any movies,” she started, though the stack of DVDs he brought seemed large, and slightly terrifying in names alone. “Since you’ve agreed to keep me company, it only seems fair that we keep the party rolling with one thrill after another.” Her phrasing wasn’t the best, she noted, and Rachel cleared her throat slightly before she returned for the hummus, setting their snacks up on the coffee table with ease.

“Now, the real question is—what do we play first?” Eyes moved to the small stack of games, with familiar things like Apples to Apples and a variety of puzzles catching interest. “Should I give you a chance to take my Scrabble crown before we duke it out in the Apples to Apples arena?”

SAM

“Alright, if you say so.” Sam didn’t bring anything that would scar Rachel for life, but he definitely had a few she wouldn’t consider herself. Ever. But he wasn’t a monster. If she really didn’t want to watch them, he wasn’t going to force her.

Sam himself eyed the games as she spoke, considering for a moment before he nodded. “You know what, yeah.” He nodded firmly, turning back to look at Rachel. “I’m in the zone tonight. Scrabble victory is mine.” He wasn’t entirely sure that he could actually pull it off, but confidence was key, after all. Maybe if he said he was going to win enough, he might end up doing it.

Sam picked up the game and went to settle onto the couch while he set it up. “So are you still in classes?” he asked as he pulled the board from the box. He had just been a senior last year, but he couldn’t remember small details like when they got out for holidays. He gently pushed the snacks a bit out of the way so he could dump out the letter tiles and start to turn them face down.

RACHEL

"Scrabble victory is yours, hmm?" She teased, tone bright as she settled on the couch near him, turning her small wooden table away from his own. To keep the utmost letter secrecy, of course. "That's big talk for someone who has zero wins under his belt," she added, helping him move some of the clutter off the table in order to set the board up neatly.

As Sam was spreading the tiles, Rachel indulged in a chip or two, snacking eagerly as she shrugged at his question. "Yes, sadly. Which sounds weird for someone like me to say, but midterms are driving me up a wall. Blaine says that I'll do well either way, since the teacher dotes on me, but I don't want to pass based on personal connections. I want to pass because I know the material. And because I need to know the material inside and out, I've been studying in every spare moment of free time I have." She chuckled softly as she exhaled, allowing some stress to escape as her shoulders rolled.

"After exams, however, we're free to go. Which means that I can fully enjoy my vacation time with my friends, and my Dads." She smiled as she spoke, and once the tiles were all flipped, Rachel picked her starting seven. She didn't try to hide the grimmace on her face as she flipped over what seemed to be an endless supply of vowels, and her head tilted up to meet his gaze as she settled in. "What about you? Is your freshman year everything you dreamed of?"

SAM

“It just hasn’t been the right time yet.” Rachel was right in that he had never won against her once, but there was a first time everything. Maybe it all had to do with the right attitude and atmosphere. Totally not about being really good with words or anything like that. Nope.

Sam knew what she meant, thinking back on midterms and praying for break to come sooner. It was even worse in high school, he’d argue, because the break they did get was much shorter than Sam had now. “Well, Blaine’s right that you’ll do great. But it is ‘cause you know the material,” Sam promised, still focusing on arranging the tiles in a ten by ten square to make sure they had them all. “I’ve always thought that once you know it, you gotta take a break. It’s not like you’re gonna be able to know it twice.” He shrugged. He also wasn’t the shining example of good academic work ethic, but still.

Sam himself had a decent mix of seven letters to choose from, but for all he knew Rachel could already be working through a good word without him knowing. Sam maintained his poker face. “It’s...no. I mean, not really.” He shrugged a shoulder, a slight laugh escaping as he did. “It’s good, don’t get me wrong. I like it. It’s just not what I pictured, if that makes sense.” He paused, fixated on the letters again. “It’s a lot of work, you know? And after...everything, there’s just been a lot on my mind lately. And it’s not like I’m doing a lot of the college kid partying thing.” Sam finally stopped then, leaning back and giving Rachel a grin. “Sorry for the word vomit. But all in the name of being honest.” He grabbed a handful of chips to pick at to effectively shut himself up.

RACHEL

Sam's words of encouragement sent some sense of relief down her spine, though Rachel knew she would never truly be sastisfied until she knew that she passed. Her grades would heavily impact her early acceptance, and though she wasn't in such a hurry to leave the West Coast, the part of her that needed New York couldn't help the rush. Still, she smiled, giving him a sincere nod. "Thank you, Sam. I know I go overboard sometimes -- it's nice to have someone like you to tug on my arm and pull me away from the pile of text books and flashcards."

As she rearranged her second "E" next to her "A", Sam's words started to sink in. She knew that college was a different world from high school, and going away after what happened last year might've done wonders for someone like Quinn, but for Sam? She understood. She sighed, softly, as she listened, and her face dropped slightly the more he explained what he was going through.

"Don't be sorry," she started, reaching out to rest a tentative hand against his shoulder. "I understand. I -- we all have that... thing we throw ourselves into when your brain gets to be too much. Or too loud, even. Mine was writing, and books. Maybe you just haven't found yours yet, which is making everything from last year take over." There's a beat, Rachel's lips pursing together as she leaned back, placing a pathetic "AS" in the middle of the board to start. "As a good friend once told me, taking a break is the best thing to do when you're overwhelmed. While you're home, you can start to find a point of relaxation. If that thing exists, of course," she joked, motioning towards him with her now free hand. "Your board, Evans. I'm playing to win."

SAM

Sam shrugged. “It’s not the worst thing in the world, y’know? You’re a hard worker and that’s good. You just...yeah, gotta relax sometimes.” He knew he was repeating himself, but it was true. Rachel didn’t deserve to be so stressed about getting it all right when she was one of the smartest people Sam knew. “But hey, that’s why I’m here, isn’t it? All play and no work tonight. And maybe a good jump scare or two.”

Sam nodded, sincerely appreciating her words. He never liked to dump his issues on other people like that. He was usually the one who kept everyone’s spirits up, after all. “I do have that, I think. That’s when I end up playing video games for hours, ‘cause it helps me tune out the rest of the world.” He liked to spend a lot of time learning to create his own, too, but that tended to stress him out sometimes since he wasn’t very good yet. “You’re right, though. Just gotta take a step back. I just think...sometimes I take too many steps back.” He laughed a bit as he spoke, to show he was just kidding around, but at the same time he kind of wasn’t. It’s not like Sam was particularly known for being a star student and getting all his work in on time, to put it nicely.

“Wow,” was all Sam said at first, nodding as he surveyed the two-letter word staring back at him. “This one’s gotta be a nail-biter, folks.” Yet he wasn’t much better, as he took a moment and then finally settled on BASS using the ‘S’ Rachel had placed. “Beat that, Berry,” he teased, crossing his arms over his chest.(edited)

RACHEL

"If the jump scares start to pile up one right after the other, I reserve the right to throw a pillow or two at the television in an act of self defense. Just so we're clear on the rules of my living room." Eyes narrow to show how serious she is--sure, she knows that, logically, nothing can actually crawl out and harm her. But, for how logically she thinks, her emotions take control in situations of fear and panic. Everyone has their weaknesses, right?

Though she didn't want to readily admit it out loud, his words made her nervous. It was overwhelming, he said -- school, personal things, dealing with what happened and probably providing Blaine with solace. She couldn't imagine being someone's stronghold during a time of absolute devastation, and her head nodded in agreement. "There's nothing wrong with giving yourself a break, Sam. I mean -- sure, you can be the guy that everyone else talks to, but you need to make sure that you have someone to talk to, too. Otherwise, it'll all.. bottle up, and you'll end up stressed and overwhelmed." A beat, her lips pursing as her head tilted to the side. "Kind of like you are right now?"

As he beat her pathetic start with a stronger word, she let out a soft chuckle, leaning back to examine her own tablets. "You're sneaky," she commented, grabbing her two E's and a B to create 'BEER' off of his 'BASS'. "Slow and steady wins the race. You need to have faith in the tiles before you talk a big game, Sam."

SAM

Sam couldn’t help but laugh at that, shaking his head a bit at her. “It’s your living room,” he reminded her. If she happened to break her own TV in her panic, then that was her problem. Sam would just be there to help pick up the figurative (and maybe literal, depending on the force of the pillow throw) pieces in the aftermath.

Sam knew she was right. He had been told that several times before. He just knew how important it was to be there for people and to keep them safe. It was his duty as a friend. His mom was especially great at telling him not to bottle up his emotions, but Sam hated his emotions getting in the way of being logical about things. “I do have people to talk to. I have you, I always trust you. And you know, Blaine—he’s my best friend. I know he’s dealing with rough stuff but he’s never let me down before. And Santana.” When he really thought about it, Sam had a lot of people who cared about him. He just couldn’t let them down. “I’m alright. Promise. Can’t be stressed when we’ve got a good game night just gettin’ started.”

Speaking of a good game, Sam could already tell he wasn’t going to have such an easy time. They always started slow, then Rachel would pull ahead and Sam would try to catch up and it turned into a no-way-to-win situation. But who knows? “Well, someone’s gotta win,” Sam pointed out. He looked over his letters again before sighing and laying down ‘EEL’ after one of her ‘E’s. “Slow and steady it is.”

RACHEL

His words set her mind slightly at ease, with Rachel's head nodding along as he listed off his close confidants. "Exactly. And they're good company to keep. Myself included, of course," she teased, giving him a slight chuckle as she spoke. "Don't forget that we're here to listen to you just as much as we we're here to talk, all right? I have it on good authority that I'm an excellent listener."

It pleased her to know that her words caused a bit of a rift in his head start, and Rachel watched with interest as he played his next word. "Interesting approach," she started, scanning through her new selection of letters quizzically. (She'd finally gotten something to work with, but half the battle of Scrabble was finding the perfect time to unleash an underused letter on the perfect square.)

So, for now, she kept is safe, using his 'L' as a place to create 'LEFT' down the side of the board. The 'F' gave her an advantage, no doubt, and Rachel got comfortable as she settled in. "Don't worry -- we changed the rules, remember? You can use your fictional languages, and I won't call foul. Toss me all the Harry Potter spells you can create, Evans. I can handle it."

SAM

“I’d have to agree.” Sam had really lucked out in the friend department, that was for sure. “I know. Trust me. You don’t have to worry about me,” he assured her, looking her right in the eye. He wanted her to believe him, because it was true. Sam could keep his feelings in check when it was important.

Sam narrowed his eyes at her. She was way better at this than he was, and she was clearly saving her big moves for later. He knew her ways. Yet he still lost every time. But his hope was renewed when she reminded him that they had changed up their rules. Sam didn’t even think of that. His face visibly lit up as he straightened his back, scanning his options more closely. Immediately, it was like the floodgates in his brain opened up and he had several more opportunities. Without another word, Sam settled on playing ‘SITH’ with the ‘T’ from Rachel’s ‘LEFT’. He grabbed another handful of chips and leaned back with a smug grin. “Then I’ll start out easy, if you’re sure you can handle it.”

RACHEL

Though she feared she would become her won down fall by allowing Sam to use words she would otherwise deem illegal, she knew that it was all in spirit of the game. And having fun -- especially with friends -- was something they both needed. Besides, she'd be lying if she said that she missed spending time with Sam in an one on one sort of setting. Because they were friends, of course. Nothing more.

Still, once his letters were placed down, her eyes narrowed. "Do I even want to ask what that word means?" She started, a little unsure as she looked back to her own options. Her fandom knowledge was few and far between -- she had picked up a few things from Sam over time, but what actually stuck in her head was yet to be seen. Until now, apparently.

Studying her selection, she peered at the board, sifting through before settling on 'HEART', placed off the 'T' in his 'SITH'. "I guess I'm playing it by the books for now," she teased, head shaking.

SAM

“Star Wars bad guys, basically.” He could explain it fully, but there was really no need for it, and it all boiled down to that. “I promise I won’t try to make anything up. You can Google it.” He wanted to win, sure, but he wasn’t going to cheat to do it. He wanted his first win to be fair and square. And it would, even if it wasn’t tonight.

“Are you in any top secret fandoms where you can use words I don’t understand?” Sam knew she would pull out the words he couldn’t even spell later on in the game, but he’d just have to prepare with his own complicated words. He surveyed his choices for a moment and then went with ‘READ’ with the ‘E’ in ‘heart’. “I dunno, I think I’m losing a little bit of my confidence here.” He couldn’t help but smile as he watched her, knowing something was brewing. Maybe he wasn’t the best at this game, but he was sure to win at least once tonight.

As Rachel took her turn, Sam took a moment to appreciate the quiet. Moments like this were rare nowadays, when he and the people he loved just put everything else aside to live in the moment. It’s probably what Sam liked most about Rachel. Even if she got caught up in school or whatever sometimes, she was the one at a party with their friends who Sam could count on to be chilling out in a quiet place when he needed a place to escape. They were usually just on the same level when it came to that and Sam really appreciated her being in his life. He wondered if she wouldn’t, had things been slightly different at some point along the way. But that didn’t actually matter because things were the way they were now. “Whatever I lack here I’ll make up for in being able to stay straight faced during jump scares and I think that’s gotta count for something,” he noted, pulling his focus back to the task at hand.

RACHEL

His question had her laughing slightly, head shaking to signify that she wasn’t dedicated to a secretly society. “No way,” she explained, fingers shuffling her tiles around. “I haven’t had time to get into anything that’s “fandom” related. Besides Harry Potter, that is, though I don’t delve too deep into things that surround stories. I don’t really have time.” It’s said with a simple shrug, and Rachel gave her tiles another once over before she settles on something that’ll keep the ball rolling.

Ignoring his quip about jumpscares, Rachel managed to hold out until the very end. Though her victory came on a bit of a technicality, she still gave herself approximately 5 seconds of floating before she offered Sam a handshake of solidarity. “You played well, Evans. And I think welcoming your world of vocabulary evened the playing field quite a bit. You’ll get me next time — I’m sure of it.” Truly, she was.

Leaning back, she took a moment to appreciate how easy thing seemed when they didn’t have to worry about anything else. Like it used to be. Her eyes focused on the table—the chips came into a hazy focus—as she got lost in her own thoughts. She pulled herself away a few moments later (though it felt like hours), and Rachel turned towards Sam, smile warm and inviting as she leaned back. Her hands grabbed the first DVD on the stack, giving it a quick read through before handing it to Sam. “I’ll take my victory lap with a side of jump scares, as promised.”

SAM

Once they had finished the game, and Sam lost (big surprise), he shook her hand firmly. “A worthy opponent.” She was right; giving Sam that advantage definitely leveled it out. He just couldn’t pull through in the end. But he would win someday. They’d have to decide on exclusively Marvel-based words or something like that someday. Then there was no way he couldn’t win.

When Rachel was ready to dive into the pile of movies, Sam grinned, taking it from her to look it over. It was 28 Days Later, the one he’d wondered if Rachel might actually enjoy. “There are only a couple in here and they’re not bad,” he promised, standing up so he could set up the movie. Sure, it was fun to mess with her when he knew she didn’t like jump scares, but he also wanted to be sincere and make her feel prepared for what she was going into. But Sam knew that just having someone there could help so maybe it wouldn’t be too terrible for her.

“So, I was telling you about this before,” he started, coming back to join her on the couch so the movie could begin. “It’s a zombie movie, but they’re not really zombies like you’d imagine. They’re just humans infected with this virus that makes them act like zombies. So it’s more creepy than anything. But definitely a must-see, in my opinion.” Sam himself wasn’t the biggest fan of really horrible films that would fuck with your head for weeks, but he loved well-done horror with some good jump scares. He just hoped Rachel trusted him enough not to scar her for life. He smiled at her, bracing an arm on the couch behind her. “You ready?”

RACHEL

Rachel settled into the couch as Sam moved to put the movie in, listening intently as he began to explain the premise. She remembered certain things from earlier--zombies, infected, humans facing a virus--that sounded somewhat intriguing, as well as slightly horrifying. Disease ravaging the country, or the world, was one way to set an sense of impending doom. She just hoped her chips could protect her in a worse case scenario.

Allowing him space (though still keeping respectably close without seeming intrusive), Rachel pulled at a blanket strewn over the back of the couch, allowing it to drape over her lap lazily. "I think I'm as ready as I'll ever be," she admitted, a slight nervous quiver in her voice as she slid down, bag of chips planted in her lap as her hands found something to cling to. "Like I said before, though -- no laughing at me. Not one single peep."

The menu didn't scare her, though the ominous music gave her a shiver, and Rachel swallowed as the movie began to play. (Zombies weren't scary. Humans that were sick weren't scary. It was easy to try and understand -- easy to rationalize in her mind. She was logical -- she could do this!) Breathing, she kept her demeanor calm, watching patiently as the plot began to unfold. "Do you think something like this could ever happen in real life?" She asked, head tilting slightly as her voice dropped to something just above a whisper. "I mean, a mass outbreak. The end of the world coming due to sickness. Because I always had the world pegged for blowing up due to global warming."

SAM

“No laughing,” Sam promised. He would do his very best, at least. But it was difficult to keep it together when someone lost it over a few jump scares, no matter who it happened to be. He’d try, though. He could offer at least that.

As Rachel contemplated the likelihood of something like this happening in real life, Sam tried to imagine it himself. “I guess it’s possible,” he pointed out. “I mean, it makes sense that it started with monkeys here. Like, how we get diseases from animals sometimes.” That would super suck, though. He’d never really thought about it being an actual possibility before. “I think they’d probably be better at trying to find a cure, though. Maybe. I dunno. I guess we just gotta hope we never have to find out, huh?”

One of the first minor scares occurred then, just in the form of a car alarm loudly and suddenly blaring. Sam turned curiously to look at Rachel beside him, gushing her reaction. As promised, he didn’t laugh. But she never said he couldn’t smile. “Still doing alright?” he asked. His arm was still draped behind her, not quite touching her, but definitely close enough to not let him forget about it. He wasn’t sure if he move it at this point or what. He’d have to keep watching in case she actually got scared. You know, to be a good friend. And stuff. “They don’t get much worse than that, honestly, so just...hang in there.”

RACHEL

Rachel nodded along, suddenly more horrified of their future with disease spread via animals on the table. Truth be told, her mind didn't need any more disaster type scenarios to fixate on during the nights she found herself staring at the ceiling, and her grip on the blanket tightened just so as she nodded, sort of aimlessly staring at the screen. "The world's in trouble," she breathed, head shaking as she did so.

The car alarm had her jolting where she sat, the bag of chips nearly tumbling out of her lap and onto the floor. Once her heart rate normalized, her head turned, looking at Sam's face for any sign of mockery. Thankfully, there was nothing to be found. Nothing aside from a cheeky grin, anyways, and Rachel nudged him gently in the side, laughing slightly at her own jittery nature. "Yeah, yeah, yeah. I think I'll manage. It was just -- so loud, and so sudden!" A beat passed, with Rachel's nose scrunching. "I suppose that's why they call them 'jump scares', though."

With her jolt, her body shifted just slightly, closer to Sam without noticing she'd done it. It was enough for her teeth to chew nervously at the inside of her cheek, and Rachel quickly fixated herself with grabbing a small handful of chips to munch on. Keep her brain focused on the task at hand, and what not. "The last thing I want to spill my all nighter worthy snacks!" She teased, chuckling as her body resettled into what it was before. "If I spill my chips, you have to get me a replacement bag. Consider it a happy distraction from the nightmares I might be having."

SAM

“If it makes you feel any better, it definitely got me the first time. Most of ‘em did,” he assured her. And it was the truth. That was the whole point. If Sam didn’t get a good jolt out of it, then it didn’t really count. Still, he did enjoy having the advantage of knowing when all of the scares were coming now. It made it more fun to see Rachel’s reactions to the same things he had seen years ago.

Sam shook his head, leaning back in disbelief at what he was hearing. “Now you’re just makin’ up rules!” His tone was insistent, but he definitely wanted to laugh. “No one said anything about me going to get you more snacks. You’re already telling me I gotta forfeit my sleep just ‘cause I wanted you to see some zombies.” In reality, if it came down to it and she seriously asked him to, he knew for a fact he’d go out and get her something else. This was all technically his doing, after all.

As the movie continued on and Sam settled back to return his attention to it, he considered her words for a moment. “You know,” he started without tearing his eyes away from the screen, “I’m starting to think I’m just being used for my ability to carry more snacks, on top of my fantastic ghost-busting skills. And that is just wrong.” Of course he was teasing, except for the fact that those were totally legitimate skills Sam possessed and prided himself on. “So what do you have to say for yourself?”

RACHEL

“I most certainly am not! I pride myself on being someone who respects rules — I’d never make some up for my own personal advantage.” It was partly true, though — in the moment — Rachel was certainly doing just that. “Since you’re the one who needs to introduce me to this world of movies, it’s only fitting that you be held to a certain standard of fulfillment. It’s just the facts, Sam. Cold, hard facts.”

Head shaking, she nudged him once more, this time shoving at his shoulder. “If I was using you for snacks, I would’ve traded you in for a younger model already,” she joked, raising a brow in his direction. “You and I both know that you’re here because you’re my favorite person to goof off with — no one else is as fun.” Her admission was genuine, maybe too much so, and Rachel swallowed, willing the light blush to fade from her cheeks as her focused narrowed on the movie.

As if on cue, however, another jump scare appeared, and Rachel jolted in her seat once more. This time, her legs flailed, her hands moving to grab the blanket towards her face as an act of protection. Her eyes and the top of her head poked out from behind a line of blue fleece, and her gaze narrowed as she studied the next moments carefully. “Those need to come with a warning,” she commented, a finger pointing from beyond her blanket shield towards an infected humanoid zombie.

SAM

Sam fought the urge to teasingly roll his eyes, instead going with a deep sigh. “Fine. But I can’t promise any good snacks.” He was health conscious and everything, but not very creative and didn’t tend to step too far out of his comfort zone with food. “So cold, hard facts it is, Rach.”

This time, Sam did roll his eyes, unable to fight back the smile that followed. “Ha ha, very funny. I’ll have you know that it doesn’t get much better than this.” Her next words changed the tone of the conversation, if only by a tiny bit. Rachel was obviously one of his closest friends and it was clear she agreed, but sometimes just hearing the admission gave Sam a warm feeling he couldn’t always pinpoint or describe.

It didn’t matter for long, though. Before Sam could even think of a decent response, Rachel was out of her seat thanks to another scare. It was definitely more intense than the last one, and Sam had to really try to remember how he’d promised not to laugh. “I gotta be honest,” he said once things had settled down. “If these guys were real, I don’t think a blanket would be doing much to protect you.” But what did he knew? Sam followed the direction she was pointing and shrugged. “Well, it wouldn’t be too scary then, would it?” Which was exactly her point, he supposed, but still. He glanced back at Rachel then, suddenly feeling wary about the whole thing considering she was gripping a blanket for dear life. “You know, we— I can turn it off and we can play a game instead. You really don’t have to watch these just ‘cause I was messing with you about it.”

RACHEL

"You don't know that! This blanket has a very high thread count -- maybe the sheer bulk of the fleece would cause them to suffocate before they could take a bite out of my neck and turn me into a meal." Her lips twisted into a frown at the thought of being eaten, her stomach turning just so before she hugged the chips a little closer, brows furrowing low on her forehead as she spoke.

His words, however, caused her to look up, meeting his eyes with her own soft ones. Sighing, she shook her head, letting the blanket fall into her lap once more. "No, no. I'll be fine, Sam. Don't worry. It's about time I faced my fears, anyways, right? I can't live in the greatest city in the world if I'm afraid of things that aren't even real. If Rachel Berry can conquer zombies, then she can conquer New York." Though she wasn't sure where her rant was going when she started, she was pleasantly surprised with how calm she felt after giving herself a pep talk.

Leaning back, Rachel let her hands smooth over the blanket before grabbing more chips, happily snacking (and letting the loud noises of her chewing in her own ears drown out the suspenseful music) as the movie continued. "Besides -- this isn't some kind of torture for me, or anything. This is fun! Watching something spooky with someone else certainly makes it easier to tackle." Nodding, she tilted the bag, offering Sam something to snack on as well before she chuckled. "This means I won't have to watch something like Funny Girl afterwards to find my sense of balance. We can just play another game!"

SAM

“If suffocating zombies with a blanket is your go-to defense, you’re not gonna have a good time. But maybe you’ll surprise me.” Sam supposed he’d just have to be there to see that. You know, if the zombie apocalypse ever actually occurred. Which, honestly, as long as Sam kept watching movies like this, didn’t seem all that unrealistic.

Sam nodded, hoping he didn’t embarrass her or something by asking. He just didn’t know if he was doing the right thing here after all, even if it was all in good fun. It was one thing to get Rachel to conquer her fears, sure, but to unnecessarily give her nightmares like she claimed she might just seemed a little much for him. But she insisted, and she was her own person after all. So Sam listened. “Fun? I mean, yeah, for me it is. But just a little while ago I wasn’t getting that impression from you.” He emphasized his point by reaching over to pick up a corner of the blanket she’d used as a shield, reminding her of it before dropping the blanket back down into her lap and going for the chips she offered him instead.

By the time the next scare rolled around, Sam wasn’t entirely prepared, and maybe he jumped out of his seat a little when it came out of nowhere. And maybe some chips ended up on the floor after all. He willed his heart rate to regulate itself again as he exhaled heavily. “Okay, I blame your tension rubbing off on me for this. I wouldn’t be so on edge if you weren’t.” He was only teasing, of course. His adrenaline was now racing and Sam pulled his legs up onto the couch. “Yeah. We’re gonna need to recuperate with some Apples to Apples after this. I’ll feel better after I destroy you.”

RACHEL

Eyes narrowed as Sam criticized her plans to fend off possible future zombies, but she knew she had something going. After all, she couldn't be expected to resort to immediate violence. Oddly enough, that wasn't her strong suit, or her style. In fact, Rachel would wager that, if given the choice between fight or flight, she'd run away. Far, fast, and without hesitation.

Still, she couldn't help the small chuckle that came out once Sam jolted of his own accord, and Rachel's lips pressed together for as long as possible before she let out a longer, louder laugh. "I'm sorry!" She apologized immediately, head tilting as her hand reached out to rub his shoulder soothingly. "I'm sorry my worried nature is making you jump out of your skin. But, you have to admit -- karma tends to come around when you least expect it." Smirking, Rachel finally relaxed more, content in knowing that Sam wasn't completely unshakable.

As the movie came to a weirdly climactic close, Rachel let out a long breath she hadn't realized she'd been holding in, and leaning forward, her fingers reached for the remote to stop the music. "Well!" She started, shrugging a shoulder. "As far as terrifying things go, I'll give it a 6.5 out of 10. It could've been much, much worse." She paused, then, giving him a genuine smile as she readjusted. "Thank you for showing me, and for being patient with me. I know I tend to say silly things and fight my instincts, but I really did enjoy it! Though.. a break is definitely warranted. So." Turning, she leaned over towards the floor, scooping up Apples to Apples with a grin. "Let's do this. Battle Royale style."

SAM

Sam wanted to point out the blatant hypocrisy here, how Rachel could laugh at his fear but he was forbidden from doing the same, but the moment had passed and Sam didn’t feel it would be as funny as he wanted it to be. His humor was an art form, if you asked him, but anyone would tell you it’s all about the timing. He instead resolved to accept her comforting hand on his arm and agree that, yes, karma was a bitch that was coming to bite him in the ass.

“Interesting rating,” Sam noted, “but not surprising. I told you it wasn’t that bad. It’s a good one to start out on ‘cause the scares are mostly sudden loud noises and stuff. You wait till we get to Blaine’s picks.” It was said as a warning but still with a lighthearted tone to it, and his mischievous smile added to the overall tone. But that was for later. Right now, the game in Rachel’s hand was the focus.

“Okay. Normal Sam-and-Rachel rules,” he said simply, taking it from her to remove the cards from the box. “Two cards from your hand and two from the deck for the judge to pick from. First to ten green cards wins.” It sort of felt like the only way to play now, at this point. Sam handed Rachel her seven red cards face down and then picked up his own, setting the rest of the deck down on the table. “‘Kay. Ready for my redemption, Berry?”

RACHEL

"Blaine's picks?" She groaned internally, forgetting that the cinephile himself was sure to have a selection of truly horrifying indie flicks that would keep her away for weeks, nonetheless one entire night. "We might need to save those for a group movie night, like we used to do last year. I'd need the support of everyone to get through what Blaine considers truly scary."

Her mind still raced with the variety of possibilities as Sam shuffled and dealt the cards. Her hands moved on instinct, collecting her seven as they fanned out in front of her face. Bringing her focus back in, Rachel turned, giving him a sure nod and a bit of a knowing look. "I'll believe you redemption when I see it, Evans," she quipped back, leaning forward to pick the first cards from the pack.

At this point, they both knew they were playing wrong, but honestly? She couldn't find it in herself to care. They made this game their own -- in fact, she could argue this is the game that brought them together, and made them friends. Therefore, this game held such significance in her heart, she couldn't imagine playing it any other way. Once her decision had been made, she handed her cards over, shuffling them slightly to give Sam a fresh perspective.

SAM

“You got super brave at the end of that one and now you’re gonna chicken out on me,” he teased. In all seriousness, he hadn’t even brought many movies with the Blaine Anderson Scary Seal of Approval, so it wasn’t even an issue. But even so, Sam agreed that those were way nicer with moral support.

Sam put his poker face back on, ready to actually dominate this time. This, he could do; Apples to Apples, especially the way they played, was all about being logical and/or funny, and dammit, Sam was concise and hilarious. And he started to see trends with Rachel the further into the game they got. Her choices showed patterns, or she just couldn’t keep an entirely straight face. He was good at noticing her subtle expression changes. Not that he looked at her that much or anything.

Sam picked up the cards she handed to him to choose which best fit the green Calm card in front of him. He sifted through his four choices several times before settling. “Okay. I’m gonna go with Bird Watching. That’s pretty calm, right?” Sam started a separate discard pile as he asked, “Was that yours or from the almighty deck?”

RACHEL

Though she be loathed to admit it, Rachel was horrible at keeping a straight face. Her eyes narrowed, trying in vain to keep away from his insights that could always tell when she was lying, and what she was lying about. Sometimes, Rachel wondered if spending so much time reading comics about people with super power gave Sam his own powers.

Still, she held her breath, waiting until he picked a card from the deck. Sighing, her shoulders fell. "Losing early, I see," she joked, giving Sam the green card with ease. "I wish I'd gotten that card -- it seemed like a sure fire victory! One of mind had to do with reading, and the other -- I admit -- was a toss away. Sometimes, you need to get rid of what threatens to hold you down as the game goes on from the beginning."

Nodding, she leaned back, picking two more cards to refill her deck before drawing her own green card. "But, now, the tables turn. Let's see what you can muster up!"

SAM

“Better luck next time.” Sam moved the green card away from both of them to start its own pile. Already, the deck was beating them. It had happened before, when that little discard pile reached ten cards before either of them could. But Sam had high hopes here. Someone was going to win — and it was going to be him.

“Alright.” Sam was careful to survey the cards in front of him, needing to find the perfect matches for Hilarious. “If only there were a Sam Evans card...” He trailed off with a shake of his head, selecting his two cards — Cinco de Mayo and flying monkeys, for the record — and mixed them in with two random ones from the deck to hand to Rachel. “I guess I just have to make do with what I got.”

Sam eyed the movies again, now actually pondering what they could delve into next. “We should do Paranormal Activity after this,” he suggested. Still not the worst or the scariest, but another one Sam considered a must-see. And it was definitely more on the scary side, rather than just...generally disturbing like 28 Days Later. “That one had me creeped out for a while after I watched it.”

RACHEL

When Sam wanted to use his own name for the card, Rachel had to squint slightly, trying to find a pattern before the cards were laid out. However, she took it in stride instead, waiting until she had her own pile of four cards to choose from. "Making do with what you have usually earns you the crown, anyways," she proded brow raising as she fanned the cards out in front of her eyes.

At the mention of Paranomal Activity, Rachel found herself clenching a little, eyes wide as she swallowed around anxiety. "Isn't that one about ghosts in the house? And it's based in -- um, oh goodness, what's the name of that genre." She paused, fingers snapping in a lame attempt to start her brain in the right direction. "Found footage! That's it -- yes, it looks like it's been filmed on a video camera, or something like that." Teeth pulled at her lower lip, and Rachel leaned in slightly. "That won't bring about any bad blood on my house, right? No.. unwanted spirits trying to possess me, or anything?"

Her trail of thought tapered off slightly once Sam gave her the go ahead, and Rachel scanned through her options at a meticulous pace. Call it tunnel vision, but flying monkeys caught her eye immediately, and Rachel chuckled slightly to herself before producing her pick with a flourish. "Either you or the deck is playing on my bias towards The Wizard of Oz, and I hate to say that it worked." Her free hand grabbed the green card, and Rachel held it out towards Sam to either take, or put in the deck's winning pile. "But, I know my dearest friend would never use my love of musical theatre to win a card game, correct?"

SAM

“Interesting you should say that considering you’re already losing,” he teased. Throwaway cards could end up being hidden gems, though. Plus, they had to be played at some point, right? “Being super smart and funny gets you the crown, actually. And ridiculously attractive.” He pretended to flip his hair, although it wasn’t nearly as long as it used to be when he did that so there was no actual movement going on. “So clearly it’s anybody’s game. Not for long, though.”

And it turned out he was right, because Rachel picked his card and Sam happily snatched the green card from her, keeping it right in front of him to start keeping score. “Who, me? I would never do such a thing. I just happen to find flying monkeys hilarious.” He pointed to the green card, which had, after all, instructed him to choose a red card that could be considered Hilarious. And it was true, to be fair; he did find them funny. But it wasn’t like he didn’t know Rachel liked that movie. “One to nothing, my game. It’s lookin’ good, if you ask me.”

Sam shook his head at her question. “No unwanted spirits,” he promised. Though he guessed he couldn’t be totally sure. But there was no need to say that. “Just good old fashioned found footage, like you said. It’s home security cameras. So as long as you don’t go buying a haunted house, you should be good.” Horror movie logic was ridiculous, but it made for good entertainment. “Alright. You’re up. Time to redeem yourself, Berry.” Sam flipped over the next green card and read the adjective it showed. “Show me something Handsome and we’ll have ourselves a game. Again, shame there’s no Sam Evans card, but...” He shrugged.

RACHEL

Ignoring his words (though not disputing them, especially the attractive claim) Rachel pouted regardless. “Using my love of Judy Garland isn’t fair, Samuel Dwight!” Eyes narrowed as his middle name fell from her lips, half teasing and half a warning that she was here to play, and she meant business.

Her posture shifted slightly as Sam reassured her about the movie, though her stomach still twisted at the thought of a haunted house. “Out of all the things that scare me, the unknown is pretty high up on that list,” she admitted, chuckling to herself as she willed her nerves to relax. “You’ll be here, though. And, I have to admit, the first movie wasn’t that bad. So, if they fall under the same umbrella of scares, then I should be able to carry on. However,” she paused, handing him her two cards, “if I get scared to death? I’ll be haunting you for the rest of your life. And I have a strong feeling that ghost Rachel wouldn’t play nice.”

Squinting, she leaned back, awaiting his decision and hoping it fell in her favor. Though her eyes rolled at his Sam Evans cars quip, his inspiration was a hidden gem. She forked over a card that said ‘puppies’ first, in addition to one that simply stated ‘me’. Which, when Sam read it, would imply that the answer was Sam Evans. Loophole, thy name is Rachel Berry.

SAM

“Damn, you middle named me.” That was serious business. Sam only ever heard the middle name from his mom. “Anything is fair,” he reminded her. “That’s the beauty of this game. If you want to change the rules, then we can say it’s my game and move on.” He could deal with that idea, but his smile served to challenge her to beat him fair and square even with his somewhat unprincipled gameplay. It’s not like he was cheating, so it was totally fine.

“That’s kinda, like, the whole movie,” he admitted, though he hoped that didn’t completely deter her and cause her to change her mind, even if he was (of course) willing to give her an out like the last movie. “Like you don’t really know what’s going on so it keeps you on edge the whole time. But you’re right, I’ll be here.” He couldn’t help but laugh a bit at the idea of ghost Rachel haunting him. He had a feeling he and her ghost would somehow end up exactly where they were now, which...made his stomach sink, for some reason. “I think I could deal with it. But I also think you’re gonna be fine. You can handle it.”

As Sam looked over the cards in his hand, he couldn’t quite pinpoint which were Rachel’s. Puppies, maybe — that seemed up her alley. But then maybe she was trying to throw him off. In any case, he couldn’t help but be drawn to the Me card over the others, more due to the humor of it than anything else. “Me,” he read aloud, nodding to himself. “The cards don’t lie. Gonna have to go with that one.” He looked up at her and quirked an eyebrow, his hand resting hesitantly on the green card as he waited for her to claim it as her card.

RACHEL

Rachel waited patiently for Sam to browse through the cards she’d handed him, teeth chewing on her lower lip as she tried to analyze his reaction. She didn’t usually play dirty like this—using grammar in her favor to swing the tides—but she knew she needed a leg up in a competition that Sam was so clearly destined to succeed in. She needed to get her bearings somehow.

And, as expected, he took the bait. She tried not to gloat, but Rachel didn’t try to hide the smug grin on her face as she plucked the green card from his grasp. “There’s no Sam Evans card,” she started, preening as she set her victory down on the table. “So, getting you to say yourself for the answer is the next best thing, I’d argue. And I think you’d agree.” She would also agree with ease, her cheeks tinted a light pink as she picked up the next card, stomach swooping with a familiar sensation when she was around Sam. “Looks like I evened the playing field.”

Chuckling, she turned the new card over, reading it with a brow raised. “Let’s see if you can keep your luck going by showing me what you think is irreplaceable.” There’s a best as she chuckled, and Rachel shrugged as her lips pulled together to form a tight smile as she pulled the blanket closer to her body. “Too bad there isn’t a Rachel Berry card as well—I’d like to think I’m one of a kind.”

SAM

Sam almost wanted to take it back, just because she had learned to use his own ego against him. But he couldn’t blame her. She knew his weaknesses like he knew hers. So instead, all he could do was smile, almost shyly, as he ducked his head to busy himself with shuffling the cards already in his hand. “Touché,” he offered lately in response. Now they were tied and he couldn’t let himself get too sloppy.

Rachel took his own joke and put her own spin on it, and it was all Sam could do to try and pull his focus back to the game and actually read his cards. They’d been at this all night, the little jokes back and forth — they were always like this. And still, after all this time, Sam couldn’t tell. He didn’t know what he should say or if he should even say anything, because it was just too much for him to put himself on the line like that. So he bit down on his lip like always go keep himself from blurting something to make it awkward, even though she was totally irreplaceable to him. He couldn’t even try to joke about that without it being...well, very clear what he meant.

So instead, he cleared his throat and handed over James Bond and the 1920’s (he panicked) mixed in with two random cards. Throwaways? Maybe. But he remained confident, sliding all four cards over to her with the same smug grin she’d had a few moments ago, squinting a bit in another challenging glare. “I’m sure you’ll find here that gloating gets you nowhere.”

RACHEL

His smile was soft, and hidden, and it sent a chill down Rachel's spine. Like maybe she'd done something right, something that set the worry that plagued her stomach aside when she said and did things before fully thinking them through. Rachel was confident about a lot of things in regards towards her life, but her personal affairs were something that certainly needed to be worked on. She just hoped that, for the sake of her dignity, she could figure something out before it was too late.

The silence that hung over them was something Rachel noticed before anything else, and her eyes flicked downwards towards her cards as she waited, reaching out when Sam offered what he thought were his best answers. His joke had her chuckling despite herself, though, and Rachel rolled her eyes softly, head shaking as she picked the cards up with ease. "Gloating only served me well when I was a child prodigy, Sam," she pointed out, though the constant reminder of her failures caused her smile to falter at the corner of her mouth, if only just slightly.

Instantly, Rachel shifted, turning as she read over her options. Which, if she was being honest, weren't the best. So, she plucked out Stonehenge as she shrugged, turning to show the card to Sam. "History seems to be in the irreplaceable category, if you ask me. And maybe you knew that to score another win?" She asked, brow raised as she leaned forward, green card between her fingers as an offering.

SAM

When Rachel picked a card that was, well, not his, Sam’s shoulders visibly fell. “Dammit!” Granted, he hadn’t really been trying in this round and that was his own fault. But he didn’t have any better cards, to be fair. At least they were still tied. It was only the deck that happened to be in the lead. “Although if you’re gonna use that logic, I dunno why you didn’t pick the 1920’s. Seemed like a no brainer to me.” He shook his head in mock disappointment before pausing to wink at her, as if it weren’t clear enough that he was just messing around.

The conversation had lulled a bit, if only because Sam couldn’t turn off his brain now. He was thinking about, like, everything all at once. He liked Rachel. A lot. Obviously. At the same time, he wondered what she was thinking. She obviously liked having him around, but the thought of anything more blossoming between them seemed incredibly foreign and like something she totally wouldn’t be into. But no matter how many times he told himself that, he couldn’t stop wondering. God, how was he supposed to spend the night tonight?

It was an absolute miracle that he ended up winning while in a completely different headspace. Maybe it was a whole lot of luck on his side, but it didn’t matter now. Sam laid his ten green cards out in front of him before raising his fists in the air in triumph. “Read ‘em and weep,” he teased, though it truly was anybody’s game. Rachel hadn’t been far behind. Sam stood up then, stretching out a bit while he still reeled from the adrenaline of winning. It was just a little game, but hey. Winning was winning. “Okay. So, Paranormal Activity?” He’d almost forgotten about their other plans for then night in his excitement. Almost. He leaned down to start to clear the cards off the table and put them back in the box. “At least now we’re even with the wins so we can continue our night in peace.” Or as close to peace as Sam’s racing thoughts would let him get.

RACHEL

She let him off with a minor temper tantrum, if only because of how cute he was when he was upset. Even if it was fake. Her eyes softened, and Rachel shook her head before sliding the bard towards the growing pile of the deck. “I don’t think the 1920’s were as amazing as everyone claims they were! People forget the awful depression and would rather focus on flapper dresses and fun music. It’s a double standard, Sam.”

Still, she took her defeat gracefully. After the way she’d won Scrabble with ease, the least she could do was let Sam even the playing field with his own victory. And, truly, this was his terf to win on — they both created this version of the game, but Sam perfected it. Besides, paying attention to the game — and her attempts at being witty to meet his own natural charm — were getting harder and harder to focus on with other thoughts plaguing her mind. She just hoped the way she stared a little too long didn’t give her away.

She’d been so wrapped up in herself that she forgot about their promise to watch another scary movie, and Rachel’s eyes widened slightly as she watched him collect the pieces of the game, clearing the table with ease. A soft chuckle passed her lips, nerves evident in her breathy tone, and Rachel nodded around a swallow. “I suppose that helps ease the process,” she offered, attempting to shrug a shoulder. “Either way, I won’t be alone tonight, so worrying about things coming to get me during the witching hour is at the end of my worry list.” The heavy implication finally started to set in for her — that she, of her own free will, offered to let the boy she was extremely interested in crash on her couch, due to how scared she would be after a movie marathon. “If that’s still something you want to do, that is,” she added after some beats of silence, her cheeks flushing with a variety of things that weren’t sure to come true.

SAM

“It totally does,” Sam agreed. The air around them settled into a heavy sort of silence then, but it wasn’t uncomfortable. Just...tense, maybe? It surely came from the fact that they were both thinking about Sam being here with her for the night. He felt the remnants of a shiver down his spine at the thought of being the one to make her feel safe, but he masked it by going for the Paranormal Activity DVD. “Of course I want to.” He didn’t look up when he said it, worried his voice wouldn’t be as strong as he wanted it to be.

Once he switched over the discs and the title menu began to play, Sam eyed his backpack on the floor, biting his lip. Once he got settled in there was no turning back, and there were several hours ahead of them for anything or everything or nothing at all to go down. Sam didn’t know which he was hoping for. “I think it’s PJ party time.” He pushed those thoughts away because over anything else, Rachel was his friend and that was why he was here. Of course he was going to stay over and have fun like always. He slung his bag over his shoulder to head toward the bathroom. “Ten points if you guess which pants I have before you see them. Only ten ‘cause I’ll be surprised and offended if you can’t narrow it down.” He had only a small selection and his friends had seen them all, seeing as he typically slept in his underwear and apparently friends don’t always appreciate that. So pants were a slumber party courtesy.

He changed from his jeans to the Captain America sweats, leaving on the white tee he already had on under his flannel. He emerged from the bathroom and rejoined Rachel in the living room, dropping his bag on the floor. He held out his arms and spun around to model his new outfit. “So are you surprised or are you surprised?” It was either this or Snoopy. He sat beside her again, close like they had been during the last movie, only this time he kept his arms by his sides for the time being. “Alright. You ready for this?”

RACHEL

His agreement came easy, and Rachel let out a breath she wasn't fully aware that she'd been holding in as a small bit of relaxation crept up her spine. It was... trying, to say the least, to imagine yourself so close to someone you feel so much towards, and not have an idea of what to do about it. Maybe she brought it upon herself by playing coy -- by being naive, and completely unprepared in the world of romance. But maybe that was all right. Maybe that's what Sam needed, too. Maybe.

As he collected his pajamas, Rachel shook her head, laughing as she raised quickly, too. "Part of me has to assume it's those superhero sweatpants you're so fond of," she teased, padding towards the stairs with ease. "But I'm not sure if you're putting up a front to lead me astray. Maybe it's Star Wars. Or maybe, it's Minions." She's laughing as she waves him off, returning to her own room to change into a pair of comfortable pajamas. (Hers always came in matching sets, and Rachel slipped into a pair of pink silk pants, camisole, and matching robe before returning to the couch with ease.)

Slipper clad feet tucked under her body, Rachel feigned surprise as Sam returned, hand pressed to her chest as she did so. "I can't believe my eyes! Sam Evans, wearing Captain America paraphernalia? Color me shocked." Scooting, she made room for him next to her, their arms smooshed together as the nerves in her stomach flared up. Butterflies settled, moving up into her chest as she nodded, leaning forward to pick up the controller and selecet "play movie" from the menu. "I hope you're ready for a long night," she teased, arms wrapping around her center in preparation for a jump scare right out the gate.

SAM

Sam couldn’t help but laugh, glancing down at the pants. It most certainly was not the only thing he owned with Cap’s shield on it. So he was a fanboy. Sue him. “What can I say? I’m just full of surprises.” It was quite the opposite, actually. Sam knew just how predictable he could be. But did he care? Not really. Certain things made him happy, made him who he was; the element of surprise wasn’t all that important in the end.

Above all else, Sam was really excited for a long night of movies. He assumed they would probably take breaks in between, like they had after the first one to compose themselves. More Rachel than him, since he’d seen them all before. But this was most of the reason for him coming over in the first place: to introduce Rachel to good horror movies. “Oh, I’m ready,” he assured her. Even if it meant he had to stay up all night. It was a small sacrifice to make. He might not think so tomorrow, when he‘d be sleep-deprived and cranky. But oh well.

The beauty of Paranormal Activity, which Rachel was sure to learn very soon, was that it didn’t rely on traditional jumpscares, like, at all. It was all about building suspense, making you think something was about to happen through long stretches of eerie silence and a whole lot of nothing. But he wasn’t going to tell Rachel that yet. So he watched her hold her breath and expect the worst several times, all the while knowing that the scares relied mostly on loud noises, feeding off of the already-built tension. The first one didn’t even come until about 30 minutes in, at which point Sam found himself jolting a bit at the loud banging sound. When the commotion died down, Sam smiled despite himself, looking down at Rachel beside him. “Not so bad, right?” Sure, his voice had a slight teasing tone to it, but he was being serious. It wasn’t terrible. At least he hoped.

RACHEL

Settling in, Rachel focused on the movie with nothing but pure intent to catch every scare before it happened. There were tell tale signs to pay attention to, of course, regardless of the fact that the 'found footage' medium played a little differently than the zombie movie they'd watched earlier. Still, she found herself interested in the lives of these seemingly ordinary people, despite the fact that their house was definitely infested with something that Rachel would define as creepy beyond all belief.

The first clammor caught her only slightly off guard, and Rachel jumped a little as she moved to pull the blanket back towards her lap. A security measure, if anything, so her hands didn't do something stupid like cover her face, or reach out for reassurance. Sam's voice brought her back into reality, though, and Rachel tilted her head to meet his gaze, nodding slightly at his words. "Not too bad, no. Though I have to admit that I understand the lack of music to create tension in a scene. Nothing is truly as horrifying as pure silence when it comes to fighting something you can't actually see."

However, the more it went on, the more Rachel realized she was interested in the lore surrounding this couple. In fact, it was this feeling that caused her lean forward, focusing heavily on the television as she followed along, watched closely as their bedroom camera ticked on minute by minute. This attention to detail caused her to miss the intended noises in the hall, and when the next scare reared its head, Rachel jumped, audibly gasping as she leaned back. Her hands flew out to the side as well, one of them finding purchase on Sam's wrist as she just barely curled into his side.

It wasn't until a few moments later, when the scene shifted back towards day time, that Rachel realized her hand still remained, small fingers wrapped around his wrist in a grip. Chuckling to hide her blush and extreme embarrassment, Rachel slowly pulled back, letting her hand fall into her lap as the other tucked stray hairs away from her face. "I'm sorry," she uttered quickly. "I -- that part really.. got me."

SAM

Sam was prepared for the scares. He knew they were coming. Granted, he still jumped a little when they came out of nowhere, and Rachel’s reactions had an impact on him too. But they never quite caught him off guard. Not totally. He prided himself on the fact. What did catch him off guard was Rachel’s small hand suddenly gripping his wrist. Sam’s head snapped down to where her fingers pressed into his skin. He sat, almost stunned, just staring, and it felt like an eternity that she kept it there.

It shouldn’t have mattered so much. And Sam was pretty sure that at any other time, it probably wouldn’t have. But the fact that tonight had felt so different, with everything he’d been thinking and feeling dangerously close to boiling over ensured that having her hand on his made his heart race. Sam was still watching by the time Rachel finally pulled it away and started apologizing, and Sam was barely listening. All he could think was how dumb it was to pretend none of this mattered to him at all. He had spent so long thinking it was important to protect himself and the people around him and that putting himself on the line would make everyone more vulnerable, and maybe he was still right and this was about to be a really bad idea, but he’d read enough of the signs at this point and he just wanted to be honest. He was always honest with Rachel. And to be entirely honest, he wanted to kiss her right now.

So he did. He’d gone from looking at the spot where her hand just was to flicking his gaze up to meet hers, and he didn’t give himself enough time to think any more about it before he leaned down and finally closed the ever shrinking space between them. He had waited for this, pushed it off for so long for so many different reasons, and though it might end up making things messy he just couldn’t help how good it felt. He paused just for a second, inching back the slightest bit so he could catch his breath (which had pretty much entirely left his body) before bringing a hand up to cup her face and pressing his lips to hers again. So much for movie night.

RACHEL

Her brain was focused, in vain, on the movie. On the way that things seemed to be progressing towards a rather unsettling climax. She wasn't fully aware of how Sam was staring, of how he started to move and bring them closer than they already were (which, if Rachel was being honest, was already close enough to have her heart racing).

It was when she turned, mouth opened to ask a question when she realized what was happening. Her heartbeat jumped into her throat, and Rachel's eyes fluttered for a moment before she felt their lips connect. For something she had pictured so many times in her mind, the feeling of actually kissing Sam was wildly different. In the best way possible, of course, and Rachel wanted to sink into it before he pulled away, too quickly for her liking.

She was ready to spew a list of apologies before he went back in, and her face turned slightly to lean into the hold he had on her cheek. Daringly, Rachel's hand moved back up, fingers wrapping around his wrist once more to hold him in place, telling him with actions how wonderfully okay this entire thing was. She only pulled back to breathe, cheeks flushed and eyes wide as she laughed softly, head leaning forward to nudge Sam where he sat.

"Is it rude of me to say 'about time'?" She asked, voice softer than before. Her fingers remained, softly squeezing before sliding down to take his hand in her own. She studied it for a moment, smile soft and sincere, before her eyes flicked up, meeting his own once more. "What does this mean?" Her words were inquisitive, but her tone was nothing less than sweet, if not understanding. "Because I -- I.. really like you, Sam," she admitted, something akin to relief washing over her body at the realization that this is the first time she's said it out loud.

SAM

Sam, too, sat back to catch his breath, his eyes still screwed shut as he tried to comprehend what the hell he’d just done. It wasn’t like he had made a mistake or anything even close to that, but he had definitely opened up a can of worms that he didn’t expect to be opened, like, ever. The simple act of kissing her brought absolutely everything to the surface. And...maybe he was okay with that, if the excited butterflies in his stomach were any indication.

He finally opened his eyes when she spoke, and he laughed, a little breathlessly, at her comment. His hand was still on her cheek and he could feel the warmth of his own breath against it when he did. “It... I know.” It was all he could think to say. It had taken long enough for sure. His heart sank at the question about what this meant, because he didn’t know. He wanted it to mean everything. Desperately. He wanted to wake up tomorrow and say she was his. And maybe he could. Maybe that was what they should do because it was clearly what they wanted. Hearing her admit how much she liked him had his stomach flipping once again and Sam breathed out a shaky sigh of pure relief.

He glanced down at his hand in hers, then back up at her face. He could feel the warmth in his cheeks. “I don’t know. Is that...is that awful? To say I don’t know?” It had been a while since he’d done anything like this. At least to this extent. “I... God, Rachel, I like you a lot.” He didn’t think he could express it enough. But his eyes bore into hers and he hoped she just understood. “I’ve been thinking about you for...for so long and— I just couldn’t fake it anymore. I couldn’t go all night thinking about how badly I wanted you. I just...” He trailed off. Because it had to get tricky. Of course it did. “I wanna be with you. I do. But we only have a few days before everything gets so screwed up.” He knew she knew what he was referring to. The lodge was going to be fun, but it was also going to be ridiculously confusing for everything. “I just think that our timing couldn’t be more terrible.” He grinned slightly for good measure, to show that he truly wasn’t trying to completely destroy the whole moment. They were still just inches from each other, and Sam could still kind of taste her and he already wanted to kiss her again. But he resisted. For now.

RACHEL

The silence wasn't scary -- for once, Rachel wasn't afraid of anything. She didn't need a romantic declaration in the pouring rain like a romcom insisted she needed. The fact that Sam was here, warm and sweet and staring at her like he never had before, was more than enough reason for her to understand, implicitly, what he was trying to say. And, honestly? It was more than she'd ever felt towards anything in her young life, as dramatic as it might seem.

His words only furthered how much she fell, and Rachel's eyes widened as her smile grew. Something about hearing it out loud from the person she'd been dreaming about for months meant so much more than a reassuring pep talk from her friends. Her fingers squeezed at his palm reassuringly, hoping to ease any worry that might be inflicting his brain, and his reasoning that -- after a moment or two of thought -- made sense.Instead, she decided to be the bold one. Scooting forward, Rachel angled her head up, brushing their lips together for another kiss. (Once the flood gates had been opened, she found that she honestly couldn't stop. And, truthfully, no one could blame her.) Letting it linger, she pulled back only to let their foreheads press together, her nose brushing against his in an intimate gesture that caused warmth to swell in her stomach.

"It's all right," she breathed, nodding slowly. "I -- I know what you mean. The lodge, with everyone being there... it'll be hard on everyone. And I want to be with you, too. More than anything, actually." She paused, breathing out a laugh as her eyes closed. "So -- maybe we can... just be this. Be us. And keep it to just us, if that makes sense?" She pulled back only slightly to give him a look, meeting his eyes with her own warm, brown ones. "If we're alone -- if it's just us -- there's no reason to police our feelings, right? Allowing ourselves to enjoy this, before and after things get.. complicated, sounds better than pretending like nothing happened. Because, honestly," she sighs, cheeks pink as she tipped forward, lips barely brushing against his. "I.. don't think that I could go back to not kissing you after this."

SAM

Sam could feel himself practically melting into her the second she kissed him again. The fact that she was the one making the move now, making it clearer to him that she felt the same (as if he needed any more confirmation) almost made him dizzy. His hand slid around to come to rest against the small of her back, holding her against him. It just felt good to not have to be wary of how close he was. He didn’t want the kiss to end, but he was still feeling overwhelmed and breathless and knew it was probably for the best before he got lightheaded. Besides, it gave him time to smile as she brushed her nose against his.

More than anything. Sam couldn’t comprehend that this was happening. More accurately, it was the fact that he’d waited so long. He hadn’t been blind, per se. There were always moments between him that made him wonder what Rachel was thinking. It just wasn’t until tonight that it really registered with him that he was waiting for nothing. Well, not nothing. He had been trying to protect himself, and Rachel. He cared so much about her and didn’t want to open up all of these possibilities for her to get hurt by letting things get serious.That was out the window now. But so far, he couldn’t say it wasn’t worth it.

He nodded at that, another small smile tugging at the corners of his lips. “I think I’d like that,” he agreed. It did, in fact, make sense. It wasn’t that they were going to actively hide it from everyone, they just didn’t have to go shouting it from the rooftops right before things got complicated all across the board. And when she brushed her lips against his again, Sam couldn’t imagine having to close themselves off from this completely, even in private, because...wow. “Jesus, Rachel.” His free hand joined the one already in her back, arms winding around her and bringing their lips together again. He could scarcely hear the sound of another loud scare from the movie still rolling on in the background, but that was certainly no longer the source of his adrenaline. He forced himself to break away from the kiss once more, his lips still moving against hers to say, “I don’t wanna pretend like nothing happened,” before closing the gap between them once more.

RACHEL

Rachel could’ve sworn that this was an elaborate, very lucid dream she couldn’t shake herself out of. Sam’s arms winding around her, pulling her closer, had her chasing her breath, body warm all over as shivers crept up her spine. She wasn’t used to being thought of like this — with friends like Santana, Quinn, and Kitty, Rachel never thought of herself as someone who could be desired in such a way.

However, Sam’s haggard response against her lips caused an unfamiliar, but widely accepted, heat to stir in the pit of her stomach. Eyes shut tight, Rachel allowed herself to be pulled back in, the thought of being Sam’s girlfriend — even if they were secretive about the true nature of their relationship — sending her reeling, forward into his arms and against his chest.

Her arms wound around his shoulders, one hand moving to thread into the hairs at the nape of his neck. Something about being held so tightly was all Rachel needed to cement that this idea was fool proof. She’d always been a private person, anyways — keeping this in their happy bubble would only make things better. Easier. Safer. She nodded against his lips, nearly launching herself into his lap with how happy she was to be showing any sign of affection. “We don’t have to,” she replied, voice slightly wrecked already. She’d be embarrassed about it later, but for now, this was all that mattered.

The movie was all but forgotten, and Rachel allowed herself a moment to smile, to pull back and look into Sam’s eyes and cherish the fact that this was happening. “This is all I need,” she explained, one hand moving to tilt under his chin, angling their mouths together for another kiss. She honestly couldn’t get enough, and her eager and confident attitude showed as she kept them pressed together, lips parting with tentative ease as she pulled him closer.

SAM

If you’d have asked Sam a year ago where he thought he would be right now, he certainly wouldn’t tell you he’d be making out with Rachel in her living room. It seemed like such a far-off, surreal thought. A little crush became so much more before Sam even knew what was happening, and now... now here they were. He couldn’t believe it, but he was not complaining.

Her fingers through his hair elicited a quiet groan from somewhere deep in his throat, because that was kind of his weakness and of course she’d find it without even trying. He felt like they couldn’t possibly be any closer at that point, with her tiny frame scooting further toward him, their bodies pressed together and their arms wrapped tightly around one another. But that didn’t stop him from trying. He wanted to memorize the way it felt to hold her like this, making up for months of endless wanting.

Rachel stopped to smile at him, and all at once every thought he’d ever had about her came flooding back all over again. She was such a good friend. She understood him. She was patient with him. And lord, was she beautiful. Sam was floored by her confidence now — not that it wasn’t something she was capable of or anything like that. She was just like Sam, he assumed, in that she didn’t want to make that leap, but now that they had, it was sort of a no-holds-barred type of deal.

Sam moved a hand from behind her to her leg to pull her closer toward him, essentially hitching her whole body further into his lap. “I don’t think you know,” he started, his words just a murmur as his lips trailed down to brush along her jaw, “how many times I’ve thought about this.” He just needed her to understand that this was something he really wanted. He wanted her and he had for a while now. He paused for a brief moment, his hand still gripping her thigh, his lips right near her neck but not quite touching, and he smiled. “Did you want to finish the movie?”

RACHEL

Though the eagerness was warranted, Rachel still felt relief in Sam helping her along, giving her space and collecting her into his lap. She was, of course, moving on instinct — she hadn’t done anything like this before, outside of sleepovers where late night discussions turned into ‘How To Kiss 101’, but she was glad to know that what her body wanted was what Sam wanted, too. Relieving, and empowering, if she were being honest.

And that felt good, because Rachel didn’t often feel very confident about this sort of thing. But Sam helped her along, made her feel like maybe she could be that girl, and the rest came naturally. His words sent a shiver of anticipation down her spine, and Rachel smiled coyly against his cheek, eyes easily slipping closed at the feeling of soft breaths and soft lips against her neck.

She had to figure that her body was speaking for her, and Rachel rolled her lower lip before she shook her head, signaling that the movie was indeed a thing of 45 minutes ago. “I hate to admit it,” she joked, “but — I think something else is pulling my focus. I hope that your movie marathon can.. forgive the minor setback.” She knee the answer, and honestly? So did Sam. She wanted to enjoy this before they couldn’t anymore. In this moment, she was allowed to be selfish, and cheeky, and flirty, and — dare she admit it — sexy.

So, she pulled Sam back a little, hands under his chin once more to bring their eyes together. “That’s okay, right?” She asked to be sure, but she had a feeling that things would work themselves out just fine. Ducking down (since she had the height advantage given her current position), Rachel brushed their lips together, a little more confident than before as she pushed him back into the couch just slightly.

SAM

At first, Sam could only hum affirmatively in response, since he was busying himself with planting slow, soft kisses on her neck. That is, until Rachel pulled him back to look at him, and for a moment Sam was feeling sort of dazed again. He felt like he was probably looking all disheveled by now. He licked his lips as she spoke to try and hold back the smile. So she was getting cheeky now, huh? Fine with Sam. More than fine, as a matter of fact.

“Fine, but you’re gonna make it up someday,” he managed to get out. He would file this away for later use, and dammit, he would remember. She was going to get through his horror movies somehow. For now, though, she was starting to push him back a little — and Sam lost his train of thought again. God. Rachel had that effect on him a lot of the time, but it was never quite like this. It was like the wiring in his brain had gone all crazy and now all he could think about was Rachel Berry.

Not that he wanted to change that, as he willingly leaned back, sure to pull her with him as he went. The adrenaline coursing through his veins had him moving faster than his brain could follow. He would press his fingers into her waist and then it would register in his head a second later, and then he would have another one of those moments where he’d have to remind himself that this was real and it was Rachel. He stopped a moment later, breaking apart to catch his breath, and he stared up at her from his new position, trying to gather his thoughts. His hands still rested on her waist. “Is this okay?” He wasn’t sure what compelled him to ask, aside from the warmth in the pit of his stomach telling him he was going to have a problem if he didn’t take a moment to collect himself. He just needed to make sure he wasn’t pushing this because that was the last thing he wanted.

RACHEL

She responded to his idle threat with a simple shrug, sure that they’d get around to scaring her to the point of an all nighter. Though the thought reminded her that Sam was here, in his pajamas, with the intention to stay the night and keep her company. The implication was heavier, now, knowing that they’d be spending all night together, given their current position, and Rachel felt a slew of emotions rush through her as she settled, followed where she led and relaxed a bit as she moved.

Her body arched slightly under his touch, hands moving to steady herself on his shoulders. It’s when he pulled away that Rachel found herself focused on the moment, the way his eyes were wide and his voice was soft and full of the right kind of concern. Her hand moved up to cup the side of his face, and Rachel nodded her approval as she adjusted slightly, giving herself a small amount of space to breathe. Being this close to Sam — his lips a little red from kissing and his hair slightly mussed from her fingers — only served to drive her positively crazy in ways she’d only let herself think about.

“I’m all right,” she assured him, teeth chewing her lower lip. “I — we — have just been... holding back for a while, I think. So, it makes sense that when things are all out in the open, we’re... excited, if anything, to catch up on what we’ve missed. And I think that I’d,” a beat, her throat bobbing on a swallow, “I’d like to kiss you some more. And, if you’re still interested, we can still stay over, and we can figure out the rest as we go. Let nature take its course, for lack of a better term.”

There’s a soft laugh that accompanied her words, and Rachel leaned in, both hands cupping his face as she talked. “I trust you,” she confirmed, voice strong and more sure than she was about most things in her life. “So — I know that, here,” she squeezed him slightly, “I’m safe. And if that’s okay within you, it’s okay with me.” Smiling, she pressed in again, brushing his lips with a soft kiss to prove her point further.

SAM

Sam nodded in quick agreement, because she was totally right. The fact that this had clearly been shoved to the back of both of their minds for so long meant that they were, in fact, sort of trying to make up for lost time. And Sam was all for that, but he also wanted to make sure he didn’t get ahead of himself. He was relieved to hear that she at least wanted to keep doing this because that, he could do. Probably all night, if it wasn’t necessary to like, breathe. His smile returned once again, that dopey sort of grin he just couldn’t seem to stifle. He wanted nothing more than for his friends to trust him in any situation. It was what he wanted to characterize himself as above all else: protective and trustworthy. To hear that reiterated, in any small sense, gave him a rush of that super warm feeling he could never quite describe. It just felt good.

He slid a hand up to come to rest over one of hers currently holding his face, wrapping his fingers tightly around hers just as she kissed him again. For how dreamlike this whole situation had been feeling so far, Sam couldn’t help but take into account, simultaneously, just how real it was. He couldn’t not notice. Even though he was going to think tomorrow about what had happened and have to convince himself it was true, in the moment Rachel was right here in front of him. Sam could see her, feel the warmth of her body, taste her lips against his. It was all so tangible, and it just made him want to maintain as much contact as possible, like he was trying to store the feeling of being so close to her away in his mind for later.

He didn’t know how much time had passed. It wasn’t like he was keeping track. It didn’t register with him until he had shifted their position, Sam’s body hovering over hers this time. His arm was braced against the couch behind her to hold him up, at least attempting to leave space between them to breathe (because he hadn’t been doing a great job of that so far, frankly) when he noticed the complete silence other than the sounds from between the two of them. He paused for a moment, wondering why that caught his attention, then turned his head to find the silent DVD title menu, signaling that the movie was long over and perhaps had been for a while.

“Oops.” He felt his face flush again, for several reasons, as he looked back down at Rachel. “Should... should I put something else on, or...?” He was apparently great at breaking the flow of whatever they had going on, but he was more concerned with making sure Rachel was comfortable than anything else. He took the moment of silence between them to bring the hand not currently holding him up to her face, brushing a strand of hair out of the way. It quite literally made him shiver, doing such an intimate little thing with her he could only have idly daydreamed about just a few days ago.

RACHEL

There was a new sense of ease between them, and Rachel couldn’t get enough. She was happy — genuinely, she was happy, and she had to imagine that, from here on out, things could only get better. Of course, there were speed bumps to deal with — Sam was at college, and though she was aiming for early graduation, she still had her sights set on the East Coast. And this all came after their trip to the lodge, which sort of hung over their group with a feeling of impending doom.

For now, though, she pushed her worries to the back of her brain. She could allow herself a few moments devoid of logic when she called for it. So, she did, following Sam’s lead and letting herself shift towards the couch. Her hands always found their way towards his neck, anchoring her into this moment so she could make sure it was truly happening. It was only when Sam pulled away to note the silence of the room that she felt herself blush even more, face hiding against his chest as she realized just how long they’d been wrapped up together.

Her eyes flickered from Sam’s face, to the television, then back to him, and her hand moved to squeeze his shoulder as she pulled herself just slightly upright. “We can put something else on, if you’d like,” she offered, noting how throaty her voice sounded. (From kissing, no doubt, but it was something that shocked her nonetheless.) “I did make a promise,” she then added, leaning up to press a kiss just at the corner of his mouth. “Besides — we... we have time.” Even if it didn’t feel like it; given their current events, it was true. They did. And Rachel rugged the blanket (which had since fallen to the floor) up towards her. “Maybe we can keep close, though? As a scare prevision,” she teased, eager to actually cuddle with someone she cared so deeply for.

SAM

Sam followed Rachel’s lead as she sat up a bit, moving further out of her way to create a little bit more space between them. He was scarcely aware of the fact that they hadn’t broken contact once in...a long time. Even before he’d kissed her. She kept a hand on his shoulder and barely stopped kissing him to speak. Sam relished in it, not at all eager to pull away himself, his own hands seeking to memorize everything about this moment so he’d never have to wonder again.

But then, as she reminded him that they had all night and moved away to gather up the blanket, Sam had to admit that there was a part of him — however small it might be — that was glad for it. He knew it had something to do with the fact that he practically felt like he was on fire from all of the adrenaline and the blushing and the sheer closeness that they refused to break. Sam sat up and took a deep breath for the first time in a while. He was absolutely intoxicated by her right now. Not that it was the worst thing in the world by any stretch of the imagination. But it was nice to breathe, and the idea of watching a movie now without having to be so aware of where his body was in relation to hers sounded so appealing at the moment.

“Okay,” he breathed, probably more to himself than anything. Get it together, Sam. He stood up to switch out the movies again. It was a shame they hadn’t gotten through this one, but there would be another time, and Sam didn’t feel like going back to figure out where they’d left off. Besides, the atmosphere was totally broken by now. He looked through what he had left, settling on something in a somewhat similar Paranormal Activity vein. “Ooh! Blair Witch,” he exclaimed, picking it up excitedly to show Rachel. “Have you seen this? It like, invented the whole found footage thing. Or at least made it popular. And it’s super creepy. At least I think so.” And there were literally no jump scares, so there was that.

He was going to try his hardest to actually get through this one, because he really enjoyed it. He would be better at keeping his hands to himself this time around without the palpable tension hanging over his head. He rejoined Rachel on the couch and immediately draped an arm over her shoulders, sidling up directly next to her, since he fully agreed that he should be in an adequately protective position before the movie got too creepy. “You might like this one. I think.” He grinned as he pressed play. “I might have said that about all of them so far. But you’re bound to like one of them. Then I can call tonight a success. And if I’m real lucky, I’ll get to sleep.”

RACHEL

His movie choice wasn't something she'd heard of recently, but probably in passing during one of their parties, or hang out sessions. Movies were a popular topic among their group, after all. So, she shook her head, perking up slightly at the mention of found footage. "Invented the genre?" She parroted, a little more intrigued than before. "All right. Well -- I mean, what I saw of the previous movie, I was enjoying," she admitted, blush still high on her cheek bones at the thought of missing nearly half of a movie due to making out with Sam Evans. (It was the most scandalous and stereotypical teenage thing she'd ever done.)

When Sam settled next to her, she immediately leaned into his hold, her head dipping to rest on his shoulder as the movie started. Though it might've been the side effects of a great relief being pushed off her shoulders, Rachel found herself less nervous than before. Yes, the premise was still terrifying, and the idea of teenagers going into the woods to poke around at the occult wasn't something that settled her bones. But, the weight of Sam's arm around her, and the way she could freely curl into his chest as the blanket spread out across both of their laps gave her a newfound sense of relaxation.

Until the first scare, that was, and Rachel found herself jumping slightly, curling against Sam as a safety measure. She wasn't even embarrassed anymore, her lips parting on a chuckle once the moment passed. "I don't think it matters how many of these we watch," she started, "I'll always jump when things get dark, and strange noises start rustling around in bushes. These people should know better than to run around a haunted forest in the middle of the night! Don't they have anything related to a conscience!"

The warm presence of Sam next to her was giving her more than enough momentum she needed to get comfortable, regardless of how terrifying the movie was, and Rachel curled a little closer, allowing a hand to snake down and take one of his. Her fingers squeezed softly, tracing small circles against his wrist as she did so. "Thank you," she added, apropos of nothing, voice soft as she turned against him.

SAM

Sam shrugged. “Invented is kind of generous, I guess. But, I mean, it was the first one that got popular. And stuff like Paranormal Activity followed. So ‘started a trend’ is more like it.” He really liked this type of horror movie, as it turned out. Sam bit down on his bottom lip to refrain from smirking, knowing he was the reason she hadn’t seen the movie.

Rachel jolting against him caused Sam, as always, to jump a little himself, just from the shock of her sudden movement beside him. He laughed along with her this time, even though he’d told her he wouldn’t laugh at her. Ground rules were kind of thrown out the window at this point. “Well, that’s the fun in them,” he pointed out, focused on the screen. “The adrenaline carries over. And if they were smart, we wouldn’t have a movie.” Sam paused, thinking back to the excitement of watching stuff like this for the first time. “Y’know, the first time I saw this, I was with Blaine and Santana and we realized the three characters in this kinda reminded us of...well, us,” he said with another slight laugh. “In like, a super screwed up way. If we were ever gonna go out into the woods to make a documentary about an urban legend.” You know, casual.

Sam glanced down at her hand now holding his, and he felt like he sank even closer into her, if that was even possible. “You’re welcome. I think.” He wasn’t sure what she was talking about, exactly, but he could probably guess, because he could honestly be thanking her at this point too. Without thinking, Sam brought their hands up to his lips to kiss the back of hers. He could get used to this. He was worried about letting himself get used to it before everything got weird, but that didn’t matter here, in this moment. Rachel was all that mattered right now, not the lodge or anything.

“So, we still thinking we’re gonna be up all night?” he wondered aloud. “‘Cause my body’s telling me it’s almost beauty sleep time and I gotta know if I should, like...go chug some coffee or something.” He was kidding, because of course he’d be able to stay awake if she wanted him too. “But you should know that I’m a super awesome bodyguard even when I’m unconscious,” he added, flashing her a grin for good measure.

RACHEL

"I certainly hope that you, Blaine and Santana don't wander into the woods to do something as foolish as this! While I understand the interest in urban legends, having read about a lot of them myself, you also have to know when to pull yourself out of what's certain danger. And plus," she paused, nudging at his shoulder with the back of her head, smile soft as she stared into her lap, "I think I'd miss you if you disappeared via acts of random ghosts who decided to tear you asunder." Another pause, her shoulder shrugging. "For lack of a better word, anyways."

The soft brush of lips against the back of her hand had her stomach in knots, something she'd become accustomed to the more time they spent together like this. It made her wonder what the lodge would be like -- if they could get away with sharing a room without causing their friends to gossip and poke at their private business. If this could continue to be a thing, no matter what, even if things get tense. For all the fighting they'd both done over the last year with inner demons -- and sometimes with their actual friends -- Rachel thought they both deserved a bit of a break with something light. And long overdue, if she could be so bold.

So, his words had her nodding slightly, turning to let her free arm sort of drape around his center with ease. "We don't have to stay up anymore. Oddly enough, I find that my mind is focused on other things that aren't infected, viral humans. Or paranomal things I can't see with my own eyes." She chuckled, just once, before she tilted her head up, eyes wide and lips parted on a soft sigh. "We could -- I mean, in a completely appropriate way," she started, feeling herself get flustered at what she was trying to say, and the implication that followed.

"You can still.. stay over. And we could sleep upstairs. Since it's late anyways, and I don't want you to fall asleep on the road, or anything." There's a stretch of silence, and Rachel tries to tell him what she's thinking with her eyes, knowing that showing what she means is sometimes better when her words are falling together. "Then I could make breakfast anyways -- coffee, eggs, even bacon, if that suits you."

SAM

“Don’t you worry. We aren’t that dumb. I mean...Santana isn’t.” Truth be told, if anyone were going to be dumb enough to do something like that, it would be Sam and Blaine (Blaine to make a movie out of it, and Sam to get to see some ghosts and stuff). Sam tightened his hold on her slightly. “You won’t have to miss me. Can’t get rid of me that easy.”

The thought of sleeping was so nice, but the thought of sleeping with Rachel was another thing entirely. Like, sleeping sleeping. Being asleep. “Well, I’m glad you’re distracted enough.” Truly, he was. He poked fun at needing to pull an all nighter with her, but he understood her thoughts behind it, thinking she’d have actually been too afraid to sleep. Which was no fun. And it was nice to have been the one to occupy her thoughts instead, he had to admit.

“Yeah. Yeah, of...Of course.” He nodded swiftly, swallowing the lump threatening to form in his throat. “I want to stay.” Maybe he’d said it too quickly, but she couldn’t have been surprised that he was eager to fall asleep beside her, so maybe it didn’t really matter. “Bacon’s always good. And all that other stuff.” Even if he’d have to swear to go for a run after. Whatever. He moved away from her to stand up, smoothing his hands over the front of his shirt as he did. “Well. It’s getting past my bedtime.” It sounded like a joke but it totally wasn’t. Sam loved his sleep. He gestured toward the general direction of the stairs, raising an eyebrow at her. “Shall we?”

RACHEL

The sense of ease they had between them faltered just slightly with the new layer of tension that hung heavy over their heads. Sleeping, actually sleeping, was innocent enough. It was the space sharing — the fact that they’d be pressed together all night and well into the morning — was what gave her an extra flair of nerves, shooting up her spine and causing her toes to curl in her slippers.

Once he stood, she joined him, her hand still in his as she walked towards the staircase. “We shall,” she agreed, nodding as she tugged him along. The walk seemed longer than usual, each step feeling louder than the other as she lead them down the hall, towards her mostly bright bedroom. (She hadn’t thought to redesign it after her surgery, with theatre posters littered on the wall, and towards her pink pin board across the room.) “I have my own bathroom,” she added, pointing to the door on the left, “if you need to shower in the morning, or anything.” The though had her reeling just slightly, and Rachel swallowed, clearing her throat as she moved towards her bed.

Some careful rearranging of pillows made space for both of them, and Rachel toed her slippers off as she settled onto the left side — her usual — with a smile. Phone set on the end table, Rachel turned towards him, gesturing for him to join her with a slight nod of her head. “There should be an extra charger around here if you need one,” she offered, hands working on bringing her hair into a loose bun. (She imagined that waking up with a face full of brown waves wasn’t in Sam’s to-do list, after all.)

SAM

Sam grabbed his bag on the way up and stopped to take it all in once she brought them up to her room. He have the place a once-over, and immediately all he could think was that it was so...Rachel. There was really no other way to describe it. And he smiled, because it was cute. She was cute. “Wow.” He slid a hand into the pocket of his sweatpants, mostly just to give it something to do. “I guess if I were ever going to imagine what kind of room you’d live in it would look a lot like this. I dig it.”

He took note of where the bathroom was and nodded. He was definitely more of a shower-at-night kinda guy, but the morning would probably be better now, since he was already bedtime ready in his pajamas. “I will...use that. Thanks.” Nice one. He rolled his eyes at himself the second she turned around to walk toward her bed. Clearly he was a little out of sorts. Could he really be blamed, though? He had come here expecting to be up all night watching movies on Rachel’s couch and to go home the following morning with the unsettling pit in his stomach reminding him that he was a coward. But now, since he’d done the whole brave thing, he was going to spend the night beside her in her bed and his mind was just racing with so many different thoughts and good lord could his brain just shut up?

Sam followed her lead, flopping down on the right side of the bed once he got the go ahead from her. “Ah, thanks. I’m pretty sure I brought one.” He didn’t need it at the moment anyway. But he still pulled out his phone to check the battery percentage, just in case. And maybe to stall a little bit longer. He’d never tell. From the corner of his eye he could see her putting her hair up, and for some reason it made his heart beat faster again. He was really sitting here in her bed. It was strange. Sam pressed his lips together, turning his head to look at her fully instead of just via his peripheral. He was feeling significantly less tired thanks to this mildly thrilling adventure, but sleep. Sleep was what they were doing. “C’mere.” He stretched out his arm and waved her closer, thinking that once he was close enough he could pull himself together and shut his eyes and he’d fall asleep and that would be that. He hoped.

RACHEL

Once she was settled — or as settled as she could be — she took a moment to check her phone, setting any necessary alarms that would wake her up in the morning. (She had to take a second to bring it down from 5:30 to 8:30, if only because she didn’t want to disturb Sam mid-sleep to make sure that 1) he was actually there, and 2) this night had actually happened. When things seem too good to be true, Rachel can’t help but fact check the situation to prove she was right. Or wrong, but in the case, she was hoping to be right.)

His voice pulled her attention, and Rachel smiled instantly, locking her phone and turning to curl against his side. He was warm, and familiar, and her arm draped along his stomach as her head fell comfortably on his chest. (She tried not to notice how nice it felt, and with stark reminders of what was under his shirt running through her mind — pool parties were always hard for her to handle — she had to find something else to focus on. Because Sam’s incredibly toned arms and incredibly toned stomach were off limits. Very much so.)

“Thank you for coming over,” she said instead, clearing her throat just slightly as her head tilted up. “And for hanging out with me like we always do. Even if we’ve gained some added benefits of our game nights.” Her words made her laugh, eyes blinking as her head ducked away from his gaze momentarily. “Do you think we’ll be able to do something like this again before we leave? Y’know — just the two of us?” Wide brown eyes turned to look up at him, her face slightly expectant as she pressed up, keeping as close as she possibly could.

SAM

The arm that wasn’t currently around Rachel came up to rest behind Sam’s head. This seemed all too right, lying here with her curled into his side. He could totally get used to this. And he was going to. He could probably spend hours staring up at the ceiling with her head on his chest. He’d certainly thought about it enough before tonight. He was trying to make up for all the time he’d spent daydreaming about these things that were now a reality.

He angled his head down to look at her while she spoke. As if she needed to thank him. “S’my pleasure,” he replied anyway. “I’m always gonna hang out with you. No one else really gets the board game thing.” Their friend group was awesome and Sam loved a lot of stuff about all of them individually, but board games were always just going to be a Sam and Rachel thing. That was just how it worked. He simply hummed in response at first, looking up at the ceiling above them again while he thought about it. He didn’t see why not. “I think so.” He nodded, almost to confirm it to himself as well as her. “I mean, it’s not like anyone’s gonna stop us.” Nobody had a reason to, after all, even if they did know the truth about what this night had brought. “We’ll make it happen, promise.”

He responded to her inching closer to him by tightening his hold on her. He was still trying to make a mental note of how she felt beside him because there was going to be a whole lot of time in front of friends and stuff where he wasn’t going to be able to just touch her again. But the good news was that he had all night to work on his memorization. He took the opportunity where her head was still raised to talk to him to kiss her, much softer than before, before she settled in again. His brain was still kind of going haywire and there were so many things racing through his mind but being with her was all that really mattered. He started to smile before he even pulled away, but then he did so he could speak. “I also promise I won’t let any zombies get in here tonight. You can count on me.”

RACHEL

His words were just the right amount of sweet and reassuring, and Rachel let out a sigh as she relaxed into him slightly. The concept was something she wasn’t used to — though she completely understood, and agreed, with the idea of keeping things hush hush until they came back from the lodge, she’d never engaged in something akin to a secret relationship. It was .. exciting. And maybe the most scandalous thing she’d ever done in her young eighteen years of life. (Which spoke volumes as to what she considered scandalous.)

The kiss set her worries even more at ease, her eyes closing as she leaned into it. The idea of being able to do this whenever they wanted, behind the safety of closed doors, was somewhat unbelievable. It would take a while to fully set in, and Rachel didn’t hesitate to hold him a little tighter, if only for a second. “Thank you,” she repeated, if only for the sake of expressing just how much this meant to her.

Knowing he’d keep an eye on the door for anything deemed spooky beyond all belief caused her to smile softly, nosing along the underside of his jaw as she chuckled. “Let’s hope that they find a pair of more appetizing humans to get gem through the night,” she joked, eyes beginning to feel heavy with sleep. Adjusting, she let herself fall prey to the feeling, eyes closing as her breath began to even out. “Goodnight, Sam,” she attempted, words slightly slurred as her voice dropped just above a whisper. (Rachel was nothing if not a heavy sleeper, and her tendency to fall out like a light when her comfort levels were maxed out was impressive, at the very least.)

#ch: rachel #001 #//IT'S LITERALLY SO LONG WE........#SNAPPED

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