Discover Top Posts Tagged with #ahfh

A Home for Hanukkah

TAGGING: Finn Hudson & Rachel Berry

LOCATION: the loft

TIMEFRAME: December 18, 2020

NOTES: on the last night of Hanukkah (and Rachel's birthday), Finn gifts his family with the last of their presents

Finn thought this whole Hebrew language thing was going to be harder than he thought. He knew Rachel didn't mind, actually enjoyed, doing the blessings and stuff, and he was pretty sure he wasn't supposed to do them anyway since he wasn't Jewish, but he wanted to know what she was saying. They were raising Matthew, from this point on, in both faiths and he thought they should both know at least something about both. Rachel had agreed to let Matthew come to church with his family on Christmas Eve. He didn't know if Rachel was going to be coming too and he wasn't going to push the issue. But he thought she might be willing because they had both agreed on both faiths. Dinner was, of course, amazing - he totally loved those potato pancakes - and then it was time for dessert and presents. He wanted his to be last because it was for both of them. He even had a good story to back up why he knew, number one, and why he was doing it on Hanukkah instead of Christmas. He headed into the living room behind Rachel and Matthew and sat on the couch, a proud, happy smile on his face. This was his family. "Mom and Burt are totally excited about having him over for Christmas," he said with a grin. "Even though we're staying at your dads' since Kurt went home, they still can't wait 'till Christmas morning. Mom's threatened to call at four am to get us up and over there." Matthew was quick to reply, "Can we go to Grandma and Pop Pop's at four int he morning? Will Santa be there already?" Finn groaned and laughed. "Bud, you don't wanna see Pop Pop before nine am, I promise." When the boy pouted, Finn relented. "How about we let you wake up when you do and then as soon as you're ready, we'll go over for presents and breakfast. It's tradition to have Christmas morning in your pajamas so you don't even need to get dressed." His son cheered and Finn was beyond thrilled that Matthew had taken to a full celebration of the holiday. He couldn't stop the chuckle that escaped when she asked about the presents. "It's gonna be the last present of the night. I know you've got something for Matthew yourself, right? And I kinda got something small for the both of you too. There's just this extra thing that's for both of you." He got up and headed over to the Christmas tree they'd put up and grabbed the small gifts for Rachel and Matthew, handing them over and holding on to the joint gift. "Go ahead," he said as he gestured to the smaller boxes, Matthew's holding a Matchbox car and Rachel's an apple cinnamon candle.

Rachel sported a pout that matched their son’s when he said the present that he hinted at the day before would be last. “Tease.” But he had a point. She too had a last day of Hanukkah gift to give Matthew and him. Before the holiday even started, the two had worked out a way to slowly give out all the presents they had planned to buy over the eight nights, saving enough so that there were still things to give on Christmas morning. Everything, so far, had been minor gifts; tonight’s was no different. She had decided to pick up a game that he could play on the system they had bought for his birthday (though nothing too violent) and for Finn, a tie for work. Before she could get her own gifts, he was handing his over first and she took it with a smile. “You didn’t have to get two things for tonight,” she told him as she shook her present, eyebrows furrowing when nothing moved. It was heavy and as she brought it up to her nose, she could smell something hidden beneath the paper. Slowly, she unwrapped it and smiled. “A candle. Are you trying to hint something to me?” She giggled before he could answer. “I’m just joking. I love it. I’m going to put this in our room.” And maybe use it on a night when they planned to be alone and sexy, but she wasn’t going to say that out loud. She motioned him over, pressing a chaste kiss to his lips once he was bent. “Thank you. Now be amazing and get me the other two down there so I don’t have to get up.” She reached forward and popped a loukoumade into her mouth, chewing while Matthew looked at his tiny toy car. “You can start a collection,” she told him once she had swallowed the treat. “Have a whole bunch as long as you promise not to leave them on the floor.” She would hate to step on one in the middle of the night. When Finn brought over her presents, she made sure each got the right one before sitting back and watching them. Matthew’s reaction to the game was great and she watched Finn’s face for his. “I thought you needed some new ties. The ones you have look a little … old.” He didn’t normally wear them for work, but she thought he could use one or two more that looked newer and better. “I saw one with music notes on it, and I would have gotten it … but it reminded me too much of that one I bought Mr. Schue all those years ago. I wouldn’t have stopped laughing whenever I saw you wear it.”

Finn smiled as they opened their gifts. He knew Matthew had no idea he was getting a racetrack for Christmas from his grandparents - he didn't know if Rachel knew it either, honestly, which made him realize he needed to check with her. He knew it wouldn't be a problem as long as he remembered to clean up after himself but he thought his girlfriend would like the heads up. He laughed at her comment about the candle and leaned in for the kiss on the the when she asked. Nodding when she asked him to get the other gifts, he held tight to the one he still had for them and did as he was told. He handed Matthew his and cheered right along with the boy when he got a new game for his video game system. Finn opened his and was happy to get a new tie. He had to wear one every day and he had one that his girls all hated. So they told him. Repeatedly. And it distracted them in class so, yeah, another tie was awesome. "Thank you, babe! Looks great. I'll wear it for Christmas dinner since we all have to dress up." The look of complete horror on his son's face made his laugh so hard his sides hurt. "I'm just kidding, buddy," he laughed breathlessly. "Oh man, the look on your face." Matthew most definitely was his son in the way that he hated dressing up. "You have to look nice for church though," he warned. "Khakis are okay but no jeans." Matthew nodded and the room grew quiet for a moment. He knew the Berrys wanted their joint gift and he wanted to give it to them but he was nervous. What if Rachel wasn't ready for this? Just because Matthew wanted it didn't mean that Rachel would. And would they be okay with the location? His stomach clenched with nerves and he thought there was a chance he was going to throw up. But he took a breath and readied himself before turning over the box to them. "It's actually for all of us," he told them as he licked his lips. He moved to sit on the coffee table and look at both of them, the small box in Matthew's hands. "Bud, hand that over to Mom, okay? Let her open it." Once Matthew did, a small pout on his face, he nodded. "Okay, you can open it." And it was a key to their new apartment in Manhattan. It was close to the park and Rachel would be able to walk to any theater she took a show in. It was a huge step for them but he was ready, Matthew wanted it ... now all he had to worry about was if Rachel was ready and wanted it as well.

Rachel loved that he loved his gift and the trick he played on their son was humorous. “You’re going to wear your nice vest and dress shirt when you to go to church,” she told him. “And you’re good shoes.” She looked up at Finn. “And that goes for you, too.” She was still undecided about whether or not she would join the Hudson-Hummel clan for Christmas Eve mass, but thought that she should go. Despite her faith not being the same, Finn had been doing all of this with her; she thought it was only right that she do the same for him. While she was still excited about receiving her - their - last gift, she sobered a bit with his reaction. He didn’t seem to be that kind of excited that meant he had picked something fun and great and that he knew that she was going to love. This was different. He was serious, nervous even. And when he instructed that Matthew allow her to open it, the feeling grew. For a moment, her mind flashed back to senior year and a proposal that neither was ready - at least emotionally - to accept and understand. His words had been perfect and amazing, but in retrospect, she was glad that they hadn’t gone through with it either time. They were still kids, so unsure about life itself, and she didn’t think she would be as happy as she was now if they had exchanged vows at eighteen. But he wasn’t getting on one knee or stumbling through a speech, so she felt like she could effectively rule that out. With slightly shaky fingers, she began to peel back the wrapping paper covering the small box, and once she was done, she removed the top. Sitting on a bed of tissue paper was a key. For a moment, she just looked at it, her mind going through a thousand options that would need a guy. At first, she thought it was a metaphor - a key to his heart. But the way he was looking at her told her it was anything but. “Is this … is this what I think it is?” Matthew peered over his mother’s hands, curious eyes looking at the simple gift. “Why’d you give us a key? Do we have to lock something away?” “Yeah,” she continued, her voice suddenly thick with (happy) tears that were unshed. “Are we locking something up? Like … like a place of our own?” She didn’t want to get excited, couldn’t get excited until she heard the words fall from his own lips. But already she was screaming at the thought of the three of them living together, just them. Like the family she had always dreamed they’d be.

Finn kept his eyes on Rachel as she held the box to one part of their future in her hands. He was nervous, so nervous, but he knew he was ready for this. He and Rachel were together and happy and so in love and Matthew was happy, had even told him he loved him a few times. Like, initiated it. Finn told his son he loved him every day. He wanted Matthew to know exactly how loved his was by both of his parents. His heart was pounding as Rachel finally got the box open and she and Matthew looked down at the key to their apartment in Manhattan. At her question, he couldn't move. She sounded unsure but happy. And then Matthew's question made him smile. "Yeah," he answered, his voice a little shaky. "That's - that's the key to our new apartment." He swallowed and reached out, placing one of his hands one one of theirs. "I've been thinking about it for a little while," he admitted. "I think maybe before we even officially got back together. But I didn't act on it because I wasn't sure we were ready. I didn't know if you would be ready to leave this loft, I didn't know if you, Matthew, would be ready either. But then I got a curious call from a friend of yours who lives up North." Matthew looked confused for a second before he simultaneously blushed and smiled. "Santa?" he asked."Yeah, man. Santa gave me a call and told me that you asked for something he couldn't give you himself but that you'd been a really, really good boy, you were like, number five on his Nice List so great job, dude, I never cracked the Top 20, but that he knew how much you really wanted it. And he felt so bad that it wasn't something he could give. So me and Santa had a good, long talk and in the end, I knew my gut from earlier was right and it was time." He licked his lips and glanced at Rachel before looking back to their son. "And I told him not to get offended when I gave you guys the key on Hanukkah and not Christmas but that you were Jewish and just kinda learning the Christmas thing. He said it was a good idea and you know when Santa thinks it's a good idea, it really is." Matthew smiled and hugged him before starting to whisper to himself about writing another letter to Santa, thanking him for letting his dad know about the apartment. He turned his attention to Rachel then, both of his hands moving to hold hers. "I love you," he said softly. "I've loved you for what seems like my whole life." He swallowed and glanced down at the key before looking up to her again. "Please say you want this."

Rachel watched the interaction between Finn and Matthew, and she thought that maybe this ‘phone call’ from Santa occurred that day at the mall. “You hear that?” she asked, momentarily taking her attention away from the key sitting in her palm. “Number five in the whole entire world.” It was all fictional, but to see the joy and pride emanating from the little boy made all the harmless lies worth it. Matthew wasn’t perfect, but he was a good kid, equal parts of them. He wasn’t manipulative like she had once been, instead caring and kind and basically everything good that they were. In her eyes, he was perfect and always number one. With their son momentarily distracted, she turned her attention back to Finn. He seemed so unsure that she wanted, which made her want to hold off even more. But she didn’t want to torture the guy, so she kissed him first. “I think you have loved me your whole life,” she replied with a grin. “Just like I have you.” She looked down at the key, picking it up from its bed of paper. “That shouldn’t even be a question, Hudson. Are you asking me if I’d rather live in a place with my two favorite boys and actual doors than here?” She really would live anywhere if the bedroom had a real door rather than a separator. She loved the loft and while she considered it her first home, she thought that maybe it was time. She, Kurt and Santana had been living here since they graduated from high school and that was almost ten years ago. While Kurt might deny it, enough time had gone by and they were reaching the expiration date for this arrangement. She had always thought a kid would be the breaking point, but those two had stood by her throughout the most difficult point in her life, helping when they could, helping her raise her son. Now, she thought it was time that they all break free and not just her. Kurt had a steady boyfriend and Santana found a girl that she really liked. She didn’t want to face it, but with this offer practically staring her in the face, she thought it might be time to find a new address. Luckily for her, Finn had done the work for her. “I want this,” she said with a nod. “I want to live with you and our son and make it a home.” Grinning, she kissed him again, lingering for just a moment longer. When she pulled away, she dabbed at her eyes, the tears finally breaking through. “I want to know everything. Where? When can we move in? How did you even find a place?” She felt like he had spent every moment with her since Halloween and he was admitting now that he had found a place? He was a sneaky one, but she was grateful. In the end he was her sneaky one.

Finn laughed out loud when she mentioned the doors. He couldn't help it. He knew she was yearning for the privacy a fully enclosed bedroom would provide, and he definitely was too. He couldn't wait to tell her that not only was there a door, but there was also a hallway between their room and the room he'd decided would be best for Matthew. And by that, he meant the one that was farthest from theirs just because he wanted a space that meant they didn't need to be quiet all the time. He was so happy that she was happy about this. He had been pretty certain but nothing was ever really definite. Now, though, he knew that he'd made the right decision. He felt a twisting in his heart when she called their new place their home. And that was what it would be. They would raise their family in the place he'd rented for them. "Okay, the how wasn't all that hard. I made a couple of calls after I talked to Santa and this place opened up shortly after. I went and looked at it and ... it's perfect, Rach. It's exactly where we should be. It's ... well, we can move in whenever we want. It was immediate availability from the time it hit the market. The last tenant is already gone, the place is empty." And now came the part that he didn't know if she would be thrilled about or not. Well, she would be happy to be closer to Broadway, he was sure, but Matthew went to school out here and he taught out here. He wouldn't mind the commute but their son might. "And the where ... it's ... the address is 205 West 57th Street. Um, Manhattan. It's a couple of blocks from Columbus Circle and Central Park," he told her. "I just ... it's a three bedroom, two bath, living room and kitchen ... it's in Midtown West. There's transit nearby. It'll be an adjustment for school and all but it's one I'm willing to make and there's ... there's a school that if ... well, we can talk about that later. It's a beautiful apartment and we can go visit it any time we want. Since I did it without you knowing, I'm the only one on the lease but I talked to the guy at the property management company and he said we can add you on if you want. You don't have to or anything but I thought it might be cool," he added with a smile. "I'll be on it!" Matthew butted in. "Please? Can I be on it?" He paused and furrowed his brow. "What am I going on?" Finn laughed and shook his head. "Sorry, kiddo. Over 18 only. Just me and Mom can do this one. But you can totally live there with us. I decided to be nice and let you come too," he told his son with a wink, which made the boy laugh at him and then, all of a sudden, launch himself into his arms and hug him. Matthew murmured his thanks over and over again before moving to hug Rachel. "We have a home, Mommy," he whispered. "Daddy got us a home for Hanukkah."

Finn was glad she didn't immediately tell him to terminate the lease when she realized just where it was. He knew he'd taken a risk in getting this particular apartment and he knew he ran the risk of a big financial burden if they didn't move right away or as soon as possible. The rent was pretty steep to be paying on a place they wouldn't be living in but he couldn't sublet it for six months and then kick the person out when school ended in June, especially if they decided to move over one of their other breaks. He knew it would be tough but he thought they had a chance to be able to get into the new place before the school year picked back up on January 4th. It would be tough, especially with them going to Lima for the holiday, but he thought they would be able to do it. Just as long as they weren't guilted into staying longer so they could spend more time with Matthew. And that was something he'd learned pretty quickly since moving to New York and getting back together with Rachel and actually forming this family unit with her and Matthew. The adults would bear with them for a few minutes, talking a bit and asking the questions they were supposed to before growing tired of him and asking to talk to Matthew. And that conversation could go on for upwards of an hour. "I don't know if Christmas is gonna beat this," he said with a sigh. "Because, I mean, this was a pretty good one. I think I outdid myself." Matthew nodded. "You should write Santa a thank you letter too. You could just call him but Mom says letters are more personal." He nodded. "I'll do that," he promised. "I love you too," he replied to Rachel then smiled when Matthew did the same. Their son took a dessert and popped it into his mouth before politely asking if he could try out his new video game. "Sure," he said with a nod. "Get it set up and you can try it out and then maybe a little later we'll try and play together. Me and your mom are gonna go clean up the dishes from dinner, okay?" At Matthew's agreement, Finn stood and took Rachel's hand, helping her up and leading her into the kitchen. With a glance back at their son, he grinned and boxed her in against the counter. "We're moving in together," he said with a smile.

Finn grinned when she said he surprised her. That was the point and he was really proud that he pulled it off. Matthew hadn't had any idea that he'd overheard the conversation with Santa and Rachel'd been none the wiser about him getting them an apartment in the city. He felt like a secret agent or something, to be honest. It wasn't easy keeping things from Rachel, especially when he wanted to tell her about it so bad. "I want us to be able to be a real family," he told her softly. "I ... when I heard Matthew ask Santa for it, I knew it was right. I ... I thought about asking you," he admitted, "but I changed my mind because ... because I guess I just had a feeling that you would be okay with it. That you wanted it, even. I'm glad I did it the way I did," he told her with a smile. "The both of you looked so happy." He bit his lip when she said she wanted to move now. He knew if they hadn't been leaving for Lima in a couple of days that they would probably be able to get everything packed and ready to move. And a part of him thought they would be able to. He knew he didn't have all that much stuff and even thought Rachel and Matthew had been here for seven years, he didn't think the two of them had all that much either. "I think we can do it if we start tomorrow and get some stuff boxed up before we leave for Lima. And then when we get back, we have to finish. I would need to book the moving van right away though so I think it's something we should talk about with Matthew when we put him to bed tonight. See what he thinks about the whole thing." He wanted it to be a family decision. "Yeah, I made the deposit and paid the rent for January," he told her with a nod. "And I looked into schools in the area for Matthew. There's this one school, The Anderson School. It's for smart kids and I know Matthew would do well there. It's up by the museum but they actually bus down to our area so you wouldn't have to take him on the train or bus every day." He scratched at his head and gave her a small smile. "So ... if you want to, I think we can make this move happen before the schools go back. I'm confident that if we all work together, it can happen."

Rachel was glad that he hadn’t told her. While she would have liked to know - and maybe plan and pick the place with him - she liked that he had gone and done this not for him, or her, but them. He had been initiated by their son’s desires to be together as a family, which meant so much more than her asking him or him including her. Hearing him say that they could start moving as soon as tomorrow surprised her. It felt like she had a lifetime in this place and to leave so soon - even if they wouldn’t really be leaving - sounded like such a big step. Talking to Matthew, including him in such a big step for their family, sounded like the perfect thing to do. He might only be seven, but he was right and knew things; he knew he wanted this, and look how much joy it had brought. “So, the fate of our future will be up to our seven-year-old,” she said with a grin. “I love it.” Hearing that he already made all the monetary payments for the place was both a relief and an extra level of stress. Because she didn’t go out and shop around with him, she had no idea about how much this was going to cost, whether or not they could afford it. Hopefully Finn had done all the budgeting, but she knew sooner or later (hopefully sooner), she’d need to go in and make sure that living in the place he had picked would be something they could afford. “I’d hate transferring him,” she said, “but it would either be now or summer. We wouldn’t be able to send him down here forever.” Hopefully their son would transition into a new place well. And he had said it was a smart school and she was all for putting him in places that would further his education in the best possible ways. “We’ll have to tell our parents we can’t say for New Year’s. I’m sure they were planning on it but … we have bigger things to do.” Live move into a brand new apartment, something she was sure both sets would understand. “C’mere,” she said softly, capitalizing on the alone time in kissing him. Doing this made another thought from earlier return: doors. “You don’t know how excited I am,” she mumbled against his lips, “because we’re going to be having doors.” It sounded so silly to be excited about something that came in most places, but she lived without a bedroom door for as long as she lived here. While she had gotten used to it, having Finn back around was making her miss it. “Can you imagine … coming home, putting Matthew to bed, closing his door and locking ours… Mmm, I think you just might have moved us into heaven.”

Finn laughed when she made mention of the fact that this part of their lives was going to be decided by their son. It was true, though. If he wanted to wait and finish out the school year here, they would do that. Well, they would probably just move into the new place little by little because there was no way they would be able to afford rent in both places until the summer. Well, okay, they could because Rachel was totally rich and working at a private, highly ranked school in New York City brought in some cash, but why pay rent in two places when they didn't have to? "We'll talk to him tonight. Maybe tomorrow we can go into the city and check it out, see what he thinks? I know we're all mostly packed for Christmas anyway so there's not that that we have to get done. And I think if we talk to our folks they'll understand. They came and spent a week last month and we're going to spend a week now so it's not like we're not making the effort to see them and make them a part of Matthew's life. I mean, I could understand if I'd come out here and we didn't make the effort but this ... it's huge. And I'm sure it's not entirely unexpected. He knew by the looks on their families' faces on Thanksgiving that they knew this was it, that the two of them were back together again and they were going to stay that way. When she called him closer, he grinned and stepped to her, bending down to meet her in a kiss. He loved the quiet moments like this, when it was just them. Sure, their son wasn't too far away but this was still pretty great. "Mhm," he mumbled in return. "All of them have locks and stuff and we even have our own bathroom inside our room." Which totally translated to morning shower sex. And night shower sex. And just a lot of sex behind two locked doors. "You're gonna love it," he predicted. "It's really nice. You go in the door and the kitchen it to the right and the giant living room is to the left. We can make that the living room and dining room. There are even floors that lead from the living room to the hall. The linen closets's pretty much right across from that. The first bedroom on the right will be ours. It has a bathroom and a closet in it. Then the end of the hall is a smaller bedroom on the right, the bathroom in the middle and Matthew's bedroom on the left. It's the biggest but it doesn't have the bathroom. And the other bedroom doesn't have a closet so if and when we decide to turn it into, you know, another bedroom or, um ... nursery ... then I can build a stand out closet." He licked his lips and met her eyes. "If we wanted it to be another bedroom or something some day. For now we can make it a home office."

Rachel thought that talking paired with visiting the place tomorrow sounded like the perfect plan. They had to go out tomorrow anyway and pick up some last minute things for their trip back home as well as the tree. Even if they weren’t going to be home for Christmas, she wanted to put up a tree and maybe convince Santana to decorate it for them in their absence to make it look like Santa had visited. Hearing the words ‘locked’ and ‘doors’ were like music to her eyes and she just couldn’t wait. But hearing him describe the apartment, what it was like in terms of room and size and what was where was even better. “We’re going to need to buy so much stuff,” she said. A lot of the things here were old and put together and there was a good chance Kurt or Santana would want them. And she would let them have it because she wanted to start fresh. But that meant buying a lot of things, like a dining room table and probably furniture. She thought they could keep their current beds for the time being; she didn’t want to go into debt before she even moved into their place. “It’ll be strange not to be so close to him,” she admitted. “He’s always been right there, you know? He was always in my room or just the next sheet over. I think it’s going to take some getting used to, having to walk down a hall just to get to him.” He was growing up and she was having a hard time letting that change happen. In her eyes, he would always be her little boy who tripped over his own two feet and mixed up his words. But this was a good change for all of them. Especially when he let his thoughts wander and he mentioned a nursery. It would be a lie if she said she never thought of that, but this was the first one either mentioned expanding their family. “You’d want that? Another baby one day?” She knew she did. Not anytime soon because she was cast in a show and she wanted time to take in that experience, but she knew she wanted it. While she couldn’t give him back Matthew’s life that he missed, they could have another and he could experience firsthand what she had denied him of. It wouldn’t be the same or replace it, but it would be the closest thing she could do to make up for her choice. “I know I would.” She let out a content sigh before moving her head to rest on his chest. “I can’t believe we have a home now. All of this is almost too good to be true.” Just a year ago they had been barely speaking to one another; now, they were planning their lives together. A year made all the difference.

Finn nodded in agreement when she said they were going to need a lot of things. He knew that, logically, but they could get by for now and if they needed to, they could finance some stuff or do a lease to own deal with Rent a Center. It wasn't ideal but, then again, nothing with them ever really went according to plan. He like dit that way, though. He liked that things were always changing and switching around and going in different directions. The only thing he really cared about staying on course was their family. "It'll be okay though," he promised. "We'll know where he is and he'll know where we are and we'll really just be a few feet away. Once you get in and see the place you'll see that it's not really too far, just far enough. And it's about time the two of you got your own space." He paused. "Well,you won't because you have a roommate now but, you know, I think you might like him." His thumbs ran over the material over her stomach, a smile on his face. This felt so good, being with her, knowing they were going to take the next step in their relationship. And when she asked if he'd want another baby some day, all he could do was nod for a minute. "I want it all, Rachel," he said softly. "Everything that I can have with you, I want it. It may have taken us seven years to get here but ... but we're here now and I'm not giving it up. I love you," he whispered, "and I want us to have a family together. Raise a family together." He glanced to the living room and then back to Rachel. "I love our son," he told her even though he knew she knew that already. "But we used to talk about having more than one kid because we both grew up as only children and we didn't want that for ours. Just because the timeline's a little later than we planned for number two doesn't mean I want it any less." He smiled when she said she wanted it too. Leaning in, he kissed her gently once more. "We have a home. And we can build our family, raise our family there. I'm going to make sure you're happy, Rachel," he said seriously. "Every day for the rest of my life, I'm going to do everything I can to make sure you and Matthew have everything you need and are happy. I love you so much."

Rachel didn’t think she could have loved him more if she tried. Their relationship seemed to be at the perfect point right now, the two of them in steady, happy places in their careers. Matthew was doing well in school, and even if they decided to move him before he returned for the spring semester, she had faith that he would transition just fine. She didn’t think her life could be this perfect and she thanked the higher powers every day that it was. “Seven years worth it,” she told him, because it was. Every fight, every makeup, everything they had gone through over the years had been worth this moment, this happiness and this love. He was right; they had always talked about multiple kids, not just one. While her dads had spoiled her in the arts, giving her everything she could have ever wanted, she was missing out on one thing: a sibling. Maybe it was better this way because, as a child, she was selfish and probably wouldn’t have taken to a little brother or sister stealing her spotlight. But some nights, she had been lonely and having a sibling around might have cured that. However, all of that was in the past and while she couldn’t get the brother or sister she might have once longed for, she could do that for their son. His promises to make sure that she was happy made her smile, though she was quick to reiterate the sentiment. “I want to make you happy too, Finn. I know you care about me and Matthew, but making sure you’re happy and taken care of is important to me.” She wanted to tell him every day that she loved him, that she never wanted to be without him; they might not be engaged or married now (yet), but she wanted to be the closest thing to it. Considering just how in love they were, she thought they reached that goal. “I love you,” she repeated, pressing her lips to his again. “Now, I really do think you and I should wash these dishes before my love becomes too strong and I just take you to the bathroom and have my way with you.” She gave him a wink before carefully detangling herself from his embrace. “Think of it this way: the sooner we get everything clean and put Matthew to bed after our conversation, the sooner we have to go to our room and have alone time.” With their son asleep, she was certain they’d have a little time to at least fool around before Kurt or Santana came back home. If they did. “I wash, you rinse?”

Finn grinned down at her when she said she wanted to make him happy too. "Silly Rachel," he said softly, the smile lighting his eyes, "you already make me happy. Happy and in love and sometimes in the middle of the night, I wake up and just watch you to make sure you don't fade away from me or something. I can't believe this is real." It took them a long time to get to this place and he couldn't be happier right now. He had the love of his life and an amazing son. What more could he ask for? (A yes and a vow and another baby, maybe, but not right now. They would get there eventually.) "Love you too, baby girl," he replied into the kiss. It was too short and he couldn't help but pout a little bit because he was never, ever going to get enough of Rachel. "I think you should let your love just grow and grow and grow," he said with a grin. He leaned in and pressed his lips against her ear. "I'm looking forward to that alone time tonight. We can celebrate us getting a new apartment in Manhattan. And celebrate the fact that I was somehow able to keep it from you for, like, three weeks ..." He was super impressed with himself, actually. He'd always had trouble keeping things from her but this time it was pretty smooth. He wondered if she'd be shocked to know that he had the key on his own keychain for the last week. It was easier to hold onto and if she'd asked him what it was for, he could easily have said something about school. He felt like a genius. He nodded in agreement and picked up the towel to dry as she handed the dishes to him. He liked the domesticity of it all. He liked washing and drying dishes, talking about their days. He liked when they got to do stuff like this with Kurt and Santana too, though that was more amusing than anything else. If someone had told him a year ago that he would be here, doing this, with this woman in this city, with this family, he would have laughed at them. Last Hanukkah was the first time he even spoke to her since she admitted Matthew was his son. "Been a crazy year," he said with a smile. "A really good one though." When the last dish was dried and put away, he leaned over and kissed her before handing her the towel to dry her hands. "Let's go see how's he's doing with that game," he said as he wrapped his arm around her and led her from the kitchen.

#finchel 1x1 #finchel rp #para #ahfh