Happy New Year|Finalie
Characters: Finn Hudson and Natalie Hastings Summary: Finn and Natalie spend a quasi romantic New Years Eve together. All the fluffy goodness. Notes: Minimal proofreading happened.
Finn ran a hand through his hair, which was about as much 'getting ready' he was willing to do other than shower and put on clean clothes. Not having to impress a girl was a big change for him and he was kind of liking it. He was kind of liking her - a lot - if he was being honest. Just the thought of the way her laugh sounded made him grin as he snatched up his car keys and scooted down the stairs. It wasn't a long drive to her house and he as knocking before he knew it, jamming his hands in his pockets as he waited.
Natalie was freaking out a little less, but a lot more, this time around. It was no longer her first date, and she was much more comfortable with Finn now. The troubling thing was this burning anxiousness in the back of her mind that she kept trying to repress. Which was much easier when she was focusing on the excitement. When the door sounded, she skipped up to it, fully draped in her prettiest knee length dress. Sure, it was cold outside. But they weren't going outside so she didn't see a problem with it. As she opened the door, her face lit up. Her eyes taking him, "Hey, you." She murmured, absentmindedly swaying her hips so the skirt of her dress could flutter about her legs. Needless to say, she wasn't used to wearing anything but pants. Stepping back, she gestured to the living room with the other arm. "Come on in. Make yourself at home. Beware of the puppy, he's a little excitable." At that she had to giggle, because her little canine was already hopping around the tall guys' legs and yelping. She just stood there and looked at him, a bit of a dreamy quality to her expression. "I'm really happy you're here. I made so much food!" As if THAT was the only reason.
Finn was glad she'd mentioned the puppy or he might have tripped over the little guy. Crouching down, he gave the dog a little scratch behind the ears, thinking it was funny how something so small and bouncy suited Natalie so perfectly. "What's his name?" He looked up at her for a moment before standing, the new dog’s new name firmly planted in his mind, and slipping off his shoes - his mom always told him it was rude to walk through someone else's house in his dirty shoes. "You look really pretty, by the way." Leaning down a little, he kissed her cheek then redirected his attention at the mention of food. "I'm always up for eating."
Natalie absolutely adored watching her two boys interact. Not that she'd say that aloud or anything. Giggling, "His name is Stark. He's kind of a lady's man and he prances around doing pretty much whatever he wants, so it seemed fitting." When she had Finn's attention back she did her best to hide the blush at the kiss on her cheek, instead focusing on the meal she prepared for them. "Thanks..." She whispered, biting her lower lip before spinning on her heels to face the kitchen. "Go ahead and sit down! I'll bring in some of the trays and we can put on a movie or something--I'm starving!" As she made her way to the kitchen she was hollering over her shoulder. She had a bad habit of being a little too excitable, too. On the table there were bowls of different chips and candies she'd already laid out. Stark hopped happily up on the couch as soon as the other guy was close enough to it, hoping to get more attention. And Natalie returned a few moments later, walking so carefully with a huge tray, that you'd think she was dodging land mines. Even her face was concentrated on the large serving bowl, her tongue stuck between her teeth in focus.
Finn saw her cheeks turn pink but didn't really think of it. He liked that she seemed to appreciate little stuff like that. He went in the opposite direction, following the dog to the sofa and taking in the smorgasbord of food sitting in front of him. Glancing back in the direction she went, Finn snuck the dog a little treat. "Don't tell your mom." He scratched the dog with that hand then popped something into his mouth with his clean one.
Natalie joined the chat 2 days ago
Natalie made her way around the couch, maneuvering not so smoothly and dropping a roll right into Finns lap. "Whoops." She smiled slyly with a small apology, then sat the tray on the table. She pointed to each thing as she explained. "So this is my grandmas famous beef stew, perfect for cold days. I don't make it as good as she does but it still tastes pretty good. And those rolls I told you about, aaaaannnnddddd--" before speaking the rest of her sentence, she'd do a drum roll on her thighs as she stepped around him to sit on his opposite side. When she plopped, her hands would flourish. "Sparkling apple juice, and grape juice." Pretending to whisper, she'd lean in as if telling a secret. "Non alcoholic. I swear I'm not trying to get you drunk." Pulling away, she giggled and grabbed for the plastic wine glasses. She was clumsy enough without adding glass to the mix.
Finn joined the chat 2 days ago
Finn 's eyes widened as she described the stew. "You made this special?" It was a little surprising to him - the fact that she'd even put thought into him having a decent time tonight was - but he just put his arm around her and leaned in to kiss her temple this time. He would've kissed her on the lips but he wanted that kiss to be special and this wasn't the moment. Not yet anyway. "This is really awesome. I can't believe you did like a recipe that's been handed down and stuff. I'm not going to lie... I'd have been happy with a pizza. This is way better, though. Way better." The juice was pretty cute, and totally her according to Finn. "And it would take a lot more than one this to get me really drunk so no worries there."
Natalie could feel the make up nearly melting my off her face at this point. He was being a lot more touchy this time, and she liked feeling his lips on her skin. The little cheek and forehead kisses would easily be her next favorite thing, after hand holding. Slyly--or so she thought--she leaned more into him and shrugged one shoulder. "I figured we'd end the year off right. Plus, you said you wanted to try these rolls and they're the best with soups and stews!" Reluctantly, she pulled from his side to start pouring into their glasses. A few times, she'd have to snap her fingers at Stark to get him to calm down, so he eventually grew bored and went to go find some trouble to get into. Natalie just smiled and shook her head at the pup before handing Finn his glass and taking her own. "A toast. To... New and exciting things and people, for a new and exciting year." Was that subtle enough? Whatever.
Finn smiled to himself as Natalie leaned into him a little. She wasn't trying too hard - she never did - and he was liking it more each time they hung out. Sure, this was only the second time but he knew that liking being around her this much had to mean that he was in the right place. "The rolls are definitely a nice touch. You really thought all of this stuff through." Finn took his glass, holding it up to hers as she spoke. "I can drink to that." He clinked his glass lightly against hers, eyeing the spread in front of him as he took a drink.
Natalie grinned as their glasses clinked, taking a sip and eyeing him while he eyed the food. He was seriously so cute. "I saw that in a movie once and always wanted to do it." she giggled, referring to her toast and setting her glass down. Finally, she started installing bowls and ladling out some stew for each of them. Speaking as she did so. "So do you wanna put on a movie while we eat? Or I could put on some music." Looking at him over her shoulder as she grabbed a roll for herself, she smiled and blurted what she was once again thinking. "Gosh, you're cute." Then her eyes went wide when she realized she'd said it out loud this time. Obviously embarrassed.
Finn grinned, glad he could be part of her movie dream come true. "Cool. You can scratch glass clinking off of your bucket list." He took his bowl from her full of stew, the delicious scent hitting his nose and making his stomach rumble. He'd barely had the spoon in his hand, downing the bite before she was asking questions and blurting out how cute she thought he was. His mouth crooked into a lopsided grin. "Music is fine." He set down his bowl, a real challenge at the moment because he was really hungry. "You're cute too. Especially when you blush." His thumb swiped gently over the curve of her cheek. He'd wanted to save the kiss for midnight, figuring that'd be special enough for her and she would be able to remember it easily. It was too hard to stop, though, when everything felt pretty... perfect. Leaning in, he made sure to be slow so she could stop him if she wanted to.
Natalie hung her head with a blush when he responded to her outburst. He was also very sweet. He never made her feel stupid for her own personal brand of crazy. His hand on her cheek caught her attention, causing her head to tilt up to encourage the gesture. She wasn't used to any sort of physical attention and even something as delicate as a brush of thumb to cheek had her heart hammering. Or maybe it was the fact that he was leaning in closer and he smelled so good. Boys always smelled good. She didn't register what he was actually doing--or what she thought he was doing, until she could feel his breath on her lips and it made her stomach catch on fire. Ever so slightly, she leaned forward to meet his advance, eyes closing so he couldn't see the panic or anxiousness in them. Oye, this is happening.
Finn felt a little relieved when she leaned in too - it was in a movie or something that girls had to come in at least ten percent or the kiss shouldn't be happening. For a split second, he wished he'd put on chapstick before he left the house or at least licked his lips so she wouldn't be grossed out if they were like dry or something. Hers weren't, a fact he realized as soon as he touched his to them. It was like they were just the right shape to fit with his, and they tasted like something good - not sweet or overpowering, just cool and light.
Natalie whimpered the moment their lips touched, feeling the friction in the very pit of her stomach. At risk of seeming too eager, she leaned in much further to press more firmly against his lips. She had no idea what she was doing, all she knew was that she wanted more. Unsure of what to do with her hands, she brought one up to cradle is jaw, holding his face to hers and realizing for the first time how tiny her hands were. Just the tips of her fingers tucked into his hairline just as she parted her lips to get a better grip on his. She felt as though she were on fire and there was a whirlwind going on in her head, even if there was a calm happening between them for anyone who was looking on.
Finn didn't know how many people she'd kissed, if any, but he was really surprised how into kissing him she seemed. Carefully, he moved his arm around her when she moved a little closer, his hand cradling the small of her back as he parted his lips with hers. He didn't want to get too carried away with kissing, but it was almost impossible not to with her. Every touch of her lips settled a pleasant sensation low in his belly and he was on the verge of thinking about the mailman when he finally eased back. "Wow. I'm glad I didn't wait until midnight."
Natalie was in a daze when he finally ended their lip lock. She was glad he did, because she wouldn't have been able to. "Thank you." She whispered, her eyes still closed. She could still feel her lips tingling and the butterflies with flaming wings taking up all the space in her stomach she'd originally intended for food. After a moment she took a breath, stabilizing herself. Then she smiled, "I mean... I'm really glad, too. And... I hope we can do it again."
Finn could have forgotten all about the stew and the rolls to keep kissing her - food was awesome, but kissing someone he really, really liked and who seemed really into him trumped everything. "We definitely can." He had to tear his eyes away from her just to get focused on his surroundings and the fact that making out wasn't the reason he'd asked her to hang out. "Maybe we should eat first and then go back to it if you want to."
Natalie forgot about everything the minute his hand was on her face. Good, music, New Years--even her puppy all took a backseat to this new feeling of... Need. But she'd agreed with him, ducking her head to tuck some of her hair behind her ear with a smile. "Right. Yes. Food. I cooked." Clearing her throat, she situated herself on the floor with a pillow to sit on so she could eat, and used her remote to turn Pandora. "So is your mom okay with you staying out so late or are we being sneaky?" Her face showing her obvious amusement at that thought. She was never the rebel type but she always daydreamed about it.
Finn slowly picked his bowl back up, realizing that as good as the food smelled it still wouldn't be as good as holding her close to him. "She's working a double tonight since it's New Year’s Eve and people seem to do a lot more dumb stuff on this night. But I told her I was coming over to your house to celebrate. I also threw in that we might go to a party but get in early so she wouldn't worry too much about drinking or us doing stuff we shouldn't be."
Natalie smiled, "You told your mom about me?" That's the only thing she caught out of all of that. As she took a bite, she grinned even with her spoon in her mouth.
Finn didn't think mentioning Natalie to his mom was a huge deal, especially since his mom hadn't made one out of it. She'd smiled and said she was glad that he seemed to be feeling better. He caught the slightest hint of an excited smile on Natalie's face, though, so he figured she thought it was pretty cool that his mom knew. "A little bit. That we were hanging out and that you were new in town and I liked hanging out with you. I would've told her you were pretty and funny and cool too but I figured she might get all gushy about it so I just said you were pretty awesome. That other stuff she'll get to know the more we spend time together."
Natalie just stared at him as he spoke, memorizing every facial expression and twitch of his eyes. His nonchalance was endearing to her because she was so used to everything being exciting and amazing. Like he evened her out, or something. She couldn't imagine living in a world where everything wasn't embarrassing or where you didn't have to be in a hurry to say what you wanted before you forgot. How... Relaxing that must be. "Well. For your own sake, I didn't mention you to my dad. When I do, you'll know it. And you might wish I hadn't." She laughed, but she was serious. Her dad wasn't exactly the scary type, but he was still a single dad and Natalie was still his only daughter. If anything he'd just dad joke him to death. "Okay, so the trick is, to tear the toll in half and dunk it in the saucy part of the stew. And if you get a potatoe or a chunk of meat in there, that's perfect. I'm telling you, you'll never wanna stop eating." As she explained she'd be following her own logic, showing him how it was done. There may not be another girl out there who loved food and eating as much as Natalie.
Finn was in awe of her when she started explaining the stew stuff to him, amazed by any girl who wasn't afraid to eat her food and like it at the same time. "I'm not really worried about your dad. I mean, I don't have one but I figure all dads worry and stuff. As long as he's not going to break any of my bones for liking you, it should be good. But I'd leave out the kissing." Because with the way the words seemed to just spill out of her mouth, Finn could see her accidentally dropping that bomb. "I'd like to be able to do it again but if you're dad like, slugs me in the mouth or something, it wouldn't happen."
Natalie quirked an eyebrow at him in challenge, taking more bites of her food. Now that she was brought down from her initial high of first kiss bliss, and reminded of food deliciousness, it was a little easier to get her priorities in check. "We'll see if you're still saying that when you officially meet him." Her second thought would bring a light blush to her cheeks that she wasn't aware she was doing a horrible job at hiding. "I guess that means we'll just have to get all of our kissing out before he gets home, then." she murmured, a little embarrassed by those thoughts but smirking to herself. She was trying to be a bit more outgoing, especially since a specific conversation with her friends that made her realize... she was only gonna be young, once. Besides, she couldn't deny that his lips and having his arms around her was a very prominent thought in the back of her mind that probably wouldn't go away any time soon.
Finn liked back and forth Natalie. She started out as shy and sweet and a little bit unsure of herself when it came to the finer points of dating but could immediately more back into cute and confident and just all around comfortable in her own skin. She was... real. There was no mask that she tried to hide behind, and Finn didn't have to guess who she was or how she was. They weren't playing some game and he felt like he could actually get to know the real her. It was, in his mind, pretty great. "We might have to." He held up the second half of his roll, the first already devoured. "How can I not want to kiss a girl who gives me the most awesome food ever?"
Natalie , once again, lost all trains of thought when something in particular caught her attention. She wanted to focus on the kissing part, but... "You mean it?! You really like it? It's the first time I made it all by myself and I was really afraid it wouldn't turn out that great." she was hanging on his every word, boring her eyes into his face to make sure his expression was a truthful one. Now she couldn't wait to tell her Grandma that she'd actually nailed it. "Y'know... I made dessert, too." Back to the uncertainty of before, her expression was hidden behind her long locks of hair as she bent over to take one of the last few bites left in her bowl. But she'd definitely be getting seconds and she didn't even feel bad about it. "Homemade pineapple ice cream and twinkie cookies." This one, she made up all on her own when her dad got her that cool ice cream maker for Christmas last year.
Finn didn't like it when her face was hidden from him, mostly because he liked looking at her. Still, it felt like distance in a way and that was the last thing he wanted right now. Scraping the last bit of his stew up, he sat the bowl down and reached out to brush her hair behind her ear. "That sounds really good and I really like dessert. But maybe..." His lips perked slightly at the corners. "We could sit here awhile and just hang out. Talk or something."
Natalie absentmindedly tilted her head into his hand when he reached out to tuck hair behind her ear so she could feel his knuckles against her cheek. She really just liked any and every small touch, the friction of his skin reawakening the butterflies in her stomach. "I'm good with that." she whispered, offering him a sideways smile until she could finish her stew. Once done, she pushed her bowl aside and lifted herself back up on the couch so she could pay the space next to her for him to sit. Ballsy, she knew, but the inkling in her gut told her to go for the gold and scoot right over to his lap as soon as he'd settled in. Draping her legs over his, she curled right into his side to tuck herself away against him and looked up expectantly. "Whatcha wanna talk about? Cuz I could probably go on for days." She giggled.
Finn was glad that he didn't have to actually ask Natalie to cuddle into him, since he didn't think it was manly to just ask a girl like that. Offering might have been okay but he didn't jump at that either. Arms around her, he looked down. "I don't know. Anything." He liked just hearing her talk, which was different for him. "It can be silly stuff or serious stuff. Anything just... talk."
Natalie spent what felt like minutes--but what had actually stretched on for over an hour, going on and on about anything and everything under the sun. Once you got her going, it was difficult to get her to stop because one answer lead into another thought, which stemmed into a whole other story until she couldn't remember what she was originally talking about. There were moments during her ranting when she actually choked a little, her lungs way of reminding her that she needed to pause and take a breath. Each time, she'd giggle and blush, murmuring an apology and asking Finn a question so as to try and steer away from her doing all the talking. But sre enough, as soon as he said any one thing, it reminded her of some other story and she was off again. By the time she realized they'd been sitting there forever, she'd told Finn all about growing up in Dublin and a few really embarrassing moments in Middle school. She spoke of her friends back home, and all their animals. How she never had a mother of her own, and clung to her grandmother for that reason. All her favorite colors and the reasons why, and of course, about her weird little pet peeves. Random things that took some couples years to learn about each other as situations called for the knowledge, Natalie spilled out in just one night. She was just so happy to have someone willing to listen--and hold onto her while doing so--that she never wanted to stop. To stop talking would mean they would have to find something else to do, and that might mean not having his arms around her anymore. And she just... couldn't have that. "Wow... I'm sorry... I just monopolized that whole thing. I probably talked your ears off! Lemme see!" Even as she said it, she'd be tugging at his ears, playfully teasing herself while using it as an excuse to hold onto his face again. She really liked his face.
Finn had never truly listened to a girl talk, especially when one talked this much. It was different with Natalie, though. Like she was describing a great adventure that came straight out of a book. He'd have felt boring somehow with his simple answers and typical childhood kind of stuff, if she hadn't seemed interested in the stuff he was saying about his favorite foods or how Puck was the one who taught him to ride a bike when his mom couldn't. He could probably tell her anything if he let himself. Maybe he would do that at some point. For the moment, though, he liked hearing about her more and it made him grin when she apologized for spilling everything and played with his ear. "Nah. You're a good talker, if that makes sense. You didn't make my ears hurt or anything."
Natalie shook her head at him, a sweet smile playing at her lips. "You're too sweet, Finn Hudson. Too sweet for your own good." But she liked it, obviously. Yet again, something he'd been saying caught her attention, and she promised herself she'd get back to it. She had been meaning to, anyway. But first, she wanted to stretch her playful muscles a bit and see if she could figure out how much progress she'd made. Playing with his shirt, she tugged on some of the fabric between her fingers, tilting her head from side to side as if in thought as she spoke. "So... there's one thing that's bound to keep me quiet, at least for a little bit..." The thought alone would be making her cheeks flush. She wasn't too good at the blatant flirty stuff yet, but she'd get there.
Finn always thought that being 'sweet' was a bad thing, especially lately. What was that thing people always said? Nice guys finish last? He didn't feel that way with Natalie. She actually seemed to like him, despite having all the appeal of Forrest Gump, or so Santana once said, and there was no getting around how much he liked her. Especially when she did cute things like tried to flirt. "If you want a kiss, Nat, you don't have to ask." Forefinger under her chin, he tilted it upwards so their gazes connected and the shine in her eyes nearly made him catch his breath. This time, he wasn't as tentative. He definitely wasn't aggressive - he didn't want to freak her out - but he was more sure know that she liked kissing him and that he wasn't bad at it. He held her a little closer, his lips parting slightly as he did.
Natalie seemed to be coping in the opposite direction when it came to this whole kissing thing. The first time, she didn't know how much she'd like it. So now that she knew how good it felt and how much she wanted it, she fumbled a little more when he leaned in to do her bidding. But soon enough, she found her groove and settled nicely into a slow follow-the-leader type kiss that had her head and her stomach doing flip flops. Oddly enough, the only thing that could calm the rage of Nat-ranting in her brain, was to think of Santana. The things she'd taught her during their sleepover and the words she used to describe them. With the pointers cycling in her head, she outstretched a clammy palm to lay flat against Finns lower stomach, curving it around his waist in slow motion so as to hold him closer. This proved to have more of an effect on her, than him, though. Or so she thought, because of the way her knees started shaking in anticipation of something--she didn't know what.
Finn hadn't expected more than light kissing, so when Natalie proved to have actual... moves... he was surprised in the best possible way. He let himself be drawn closer to her, deeper in to their kiss, never forgetting that this couldn't go too far. Or it could, but he wasn't going to let it. He didn't want her to think she had to be physical with him if she wasn't ready for that... no matter how much he liked being close to her.
Natalie hesitated when he didn't immediately reciprocate her advances. Santana had told her there were a few ways to read if a guy was liking or not like what you were doing, but Finn wasn't reacting much at all. This worried her a little, but the actual kissing part was still going very well so she decided to try the last thing she'd learned. Something Santana taught her supposedly SPECIFICALLY for Finn. Tilting her head a little further to one side to deepen their lip lock, her hand found the wrist of one of his just as her lips parted again. In the same moments that she tugged his hand towards her knee, her tongue darted out to lightly swipe at his lower lip. She flattened his palm to her leg and bent her knee to show him he was tree to touch in return. If this didn't get a reaction, she knew to give up.
Finn wasn't really sure what... or why... Girls and physical stuff had always kind of been a mystery to him. Not the liking it part, obviously, but the rules always seemed to change and he was never really sure what was okay and what was. Natalie never seemed like she was trying to prove anything to anyone but right now... she was being forward and he wasn't sure if it was really her or not. He also wasn't sure that the teenage guy part of his brain cared. His hand moved up from where she'd placed it on her thigh as his lips broke from hers and he moved to kiss along the delicate line of her throat. He definitely couldn't leave any marks but he definitely couldn't deprive her of a few small nips.
Natalie's brain short circuited when he took the bait. Sure, she'd had this discussion with Santana and knew the purpose was to get him to respond, but... That's about as far as they'd gotten. Now that he was actually doing it she was lost again. Unprepared. And with his lips no longer on hers, she was at a loss for what to do. Not to mention, being freed up was making it nearly impossible to stop from launching into more talking. She bit at her lower lip to keep herself quiet--well, with words anyway. That didn't stop her from making other small little noises. Ones that she'd never made before, except when eating really good food. By the time he made it all the way down her neck she had the front of his shirt balled so tightly in her fist that her knuckles were white. She couldn't stop herself from talking anymore. "Finn..." she whimpered out, a hint of encouragement as well as hesitation in her voice. "Th-this is... I don't know how to--..." She wasn't sure what she was trying to say but if she could just get her body to stop shivering she might be able to finish a thought.
Finn had almost forgotten his self-restraint when she started talking. And shaking. It was like a fire alarm going off in his brain, a siren screaming danger, but he remained calm as he slowly, carefully removed his lips from her neck, and his hand from her thigh so that he could cradle her face. "Hey..." He gave her a quick, gentle kiss and folded her up in his arms. "That was really amazing. You're a really good kisser." His thumb traced her bottom lip. "All the other stuff really doesn't matter right now."
Natalie felt like a total loser the minute he stopped touching her. She went from cool and confident to a total lame-o with nothing more than a brush of lips to her neck. But her body had calmed down immediately and he was holding her much tighter so she wasn't disappointed with the turn out. Still, she pouted. Although it was more dramatic and playful than anything. "I'm sorry. That was stupid. I'm not a tease, I promise. I wanted that. But once we got as far as I'd prepared for, I froze." Talking to him about this was remarkably easy. She didn't feel pressured or like he was making fun of her at all. "Next time you just gotta talk me through it." At those words, her smile would slowly grow and the blush would return. She liked the thought that there would be a next time. A moment later the grandfather clock in her dining room started chiming, sounding that they had an hour until the new year. It made her face light up in realization as she jumped from his lap and scurried around. "We still need desert and to turn on the ball dropping!"
Finn was a little confused at why she was telling him sorry. This was only their second date technically. Did someone tell her that she had to go farther than kissing at that point? Not that he wouldn't have liked more but... part of him really wanted to do things right and it just didn't feel like it was time for all of that. "I don't think you're a tease. This is just kind of the speed I go at. But maybe as we get to know each other more and stuff, I can talk you through it. Not that I'm going to be a great teacher since I really haven't done that stuff." He looked at her, an earnest, unassuming expression meeting her tiny smile. "Right now, though, that desert is sounding good. Why don't you get it and I'll get the TV going?"
Natalie paused in her franticness to offer him a very sweet and appreciative smile at his words. Before she could think too much into it, she trotted over and leaned over the back of the couch to peck him quickly on the lips. She stayed close as she spoke. "I like you a lot, Finn Hudson." For just a moment, she lingered to look at his eyes. Then she leaned in for one more quick kiss and darted away towards the kitchen, yelling over her shoulder. "ALSO YOUR EYES LOOK LIKE CARAMEL CANDIES!"
Finn was about to tell her he liked her a lot too, but she kissed him - he had no complaints about this - then dashed off to the kitchen, yelling something about his eyes looking like candy. He'd have to remember to come up with something hers looked like that wasn't totally cheesy. "Thanks." Because that? Totally smooth, he told himself as he picked up the remote to the TV and found a broadcast of the ball drop that also had musical performances.
Natalie returned to the living room carrying two sundae dishes full of ice cream, with Twinkie sticks sticking out in cool fashion. She smiled as she handed him his and looked to the tv, her eyes lighting up. "This is so exiting! And I've gotta say, it's probably the best way to end off one year and start a new one." With those words he'd get her best eyes, biting on her bottom lip before bringing up a spoonful of her homemade ice cream. She liked it, but she was more focused on what his reaction would be!
Finn wasn't big into celebration in general, New Years falling directly into that category. Still, he agreed with Natalie about how this was going to be a great way to spend the holiday. "Pretty girl. Ice cream with Twinkies. What could be better?" He took the bowl and dove in head first.
Natalie giggled at his eagerness, more than happy with that reaction. She'd never cooked for anyone but her dad before, so having another point of view was nice. For the most part, she let them eat in silence, laughing at some of the performances and corny jokes by the broadcasters and sneakily--or so she thought, anyway--inching closer to him to basically be cuddled right back into his side. When her ice cream was finished, she laid the cup on the table and settled back in, eager for the countdown.
Finn focused on his ice cream until it was gone, the hoopla on the television mostly boring to him. He liked listening to her laugh more than the actual music that was being played. Setting his bowl down when he was done, he put his arm around her, noticing that she'd cuddled right up next to him.
Natalie watched content my, and comfortably from her place tucked right into this new guy in her life. She tried to disappear into the screen like she normally did when watching tv, but she found her thoughts mostly circling right back to the reason for the warmth next to her and randomly smiling like n idiot. To anyone not in her head, her grins would seem out of place. Finally, they were a minute to countdown and she was back alive, moving to sit up on her knees and bouncing as she quickly patted at Finns leg. "Looook looklook!" Obviously this was something exciting to her, as she just couldn't contain herself.
Finn felt better than he had in a while. He had this really cool girl in his life and she seemed to really like him back - she'd said as much but he liked that she didn't mind showing it on top of that. And the new year seemed to be looking up a little, which was a relief to him since the last few weeks had sucked majorly. When she sat forward, looking like a kid as the countdown began, he could only smile and scoot forward a little, his arm resting around her waist.
Natalie wiggled in her seat, her eyes widening and brightening as the ball fell closer and closer to the base in its slow crawl. When it got closer, she turned suddenly to face Finn, wrapping her arms around his neck and looking right into his eyes as she continued her countdown along with the people on the screen. As it reached single digits, she snuck her hand behind his head to a spot between the couch and the pillows where she'd hidden a few hallowed out egg shells filled with confetti. She grasped two in her hand and just as everyone screamed '2!' She'd smashed it softly into his head, sending sparkles and colored paper cascading down both of their fronts. Between giggles and bracing for any retaliation, she shouted, "Happy New Year!"
Finn hadn't expected to be hit in the head. It didn't hurt but he had a feeling he'd have glitter stuck in his hair until he took a shower the next day. Anyone else, he wouldn't have really understood why. But it was Natalie and she was... special. Special in the way that could give him what he imagined girls called butterflies. He turned to her, trying to look stern but he couldn't do anything but grin at her dorky self. With the quick sweep of his arm, he pulled her into him and kissed her soundly on the mouth, holding her lips with his until he could tell she was breathless. "Happy New Year to you."