deception & perfection

Lucy Quinn Fabray; sixteen - head cheerio - single Feel free to ask questions about whatever you think you know, but odds are you're not going to get the response that you were looking for.

[theqfabs]

signingpuckerman·:

Of Lambs & Olive Branches [Quick]

His shoulders relaxed a little, relieved that her mom wasn’t paying attention. He didn’t give a shit what her dad thought – had hated the man since long before they’d ever fallen into bed and the guy had taken off with some chick – but her mom made him squirm. Unless they were getting him into bed, he wasn’t the kind of guy mothers usually liked. Quinn’s mom had even more reasons to hate him.

The only mom he knew legitimately liked him without trying to bang him was Carole and he’d more or less avoided her since they’d moved Quinn out of Finn’s place. She might not actually like him all that much anymore, actually.

“Honestly didn’t think you’d even open the door,” he admitted. “So this went a lot further than I actually planned on. Kinda flying blind right now.” He nodded down at the lamb in her hands. “Just wanted to bring that back.”

He shifted his weight to his other foot and pulled one hand from his pocket so he could jerk a thumb over his thumb. “I can go, if you want.” He didn’t exactly have anywhere to go, but he could barely read her on their best days. 

Quinn wasn’t shocked when Puck said he didn’t think that she’d even open the door, something she had actually considered whenever she saw him standing on the other side of it. This wasn’t a conversation that she was looking forward to having no matter how much she knew it needed to be had. Her eyes were mainly focused on the ground as he mentioned the lamb in her hands, unsure of how she felt about pretty much everything going on. 

“Well, thanks,” she said, holding the lamb up a little higher, “For bringing it back.” This was a lot more awkward than she expected their reunion to be and she wondered if she was thinking too much. Actually, she knew that she was thinking too much. Somehow she had managed to go from allowing Puck to be the guy she slept with to not knowing how to talk to him, not that they ever spent that much time talking before. 

“You don’t have to go,” she answered, unsure if there was really any reason for him to stay. She wasn’t sure she could have a casual conversation with him, but she also didn’t know if he was interested in hanging around having awkward interactions with each other. At the very least it was obvious that they could be somewhat civil to each other whenever the situation called for it. “But I’m not really sure what to say or do right now.” 

[theqfabs]

finnish-hudsonish​:

Finn wasn’t totally sure what this would change.  Honestly, he was hoping disabling the slushie machine at the local convenience store would just delay the slushying for a while until they could come up with something that would be more permanent.  Either way, it was worth the risk.  McKinley was really awful in some ways.  Being away all summer and then coming back to it had done nothing if not emphasize that truth. 

Having Quinn right behind him was kind of a pleasant surprise.  After the way everything had gone down last year, he really wasn’t sure of anything with their relationship.  Part of his problem with all of it had been questioning what was real, what wasn’t real, and if he was a huge idiot for believing in her.  Now, on the other side, he felt less stupid.  And like maybe some of the affection had been, was still, genuine. 

“I found the, like, owner’s manual or whatever online,” he said, keeping his voice low.  “I have some ideas.” Without getting too far into it, he was considering working as a mechanic at Burt’s shop based on how much sense the owner’s manual had made to him.  He wasn’t getting into that, though. 

He looked at the same kid Quinn was eyeing.  If his people reading skills were being honest, the kid hadn’t had much attention from a pretty blonde.  This would be easy for her.  “Okay.  Hopefully I’ll be fast, too.” 

Quinn was slightly surprised that Finn had put so much effort into this plan that they had come up with. She knew it wasn’t going to fix things long term at the school, but maybe it would slow things down for a few days and the idiots would find some new way to make lives miserable. It was a sad reality that they had to deal with so many terrible things at their school and Quinn honestly wasn’t sure what it would take for things to actually chance since it didn’t seem like the teachers cared all that much.

“Good luck,” she said, giving him a quick smile as she made her way towards the front of the store. There was something about Finn that Quinn was always going to like, even if she was certain she had given him a million reasons to want nothing to do with her. The reality is that she truly cared about him and maybe on some level loved him, but much like most people in their school she just wasn’t a good person. 

As she approached the guy behind the counter, she flashed him a quick smile before leaning against the counter to talk to him. This wasn’t exactly her area of expertise and she hoped that she was pretty enough to keep him distracted from whatever Finn was doing. 

[theqfabs]

Quinn wasn’t sure how she had ended up where she currently was, but somehow she wasn’t entirely questioning what they were doing. She glanced over at Finn as she followed behind him, wondering if anyone from school was going to notice them. This was going to be a temporary solution to a bigger issue the school had and Quinn wondered if Finn actually thought this was going to change anything. It wasn’t surprising that he was trying to fix things for people again, but it was nice to feel like he hadn’t really changed all that much.

“Do you even know how you’re going to do this?” She asked, eyeing up the younger guy who was standing behind the counter. He wouldn’t be difficult to distract, but Quinn wasn’t sure how much time they’d need. “Because for all we know, Karofsky could be walking in here in five minutes to buy three of these.” 

She pretended to be interested in the drinks in front of her, opening the door to grab a bottle of water so she at least had a reason to be at the counter. It occurred to her that she could probably walk up there and just simply talk to him, but she wanted to make sure she covered Finn for as long as he needed necessary. 

“Just give me a few minutes to distract him.”

@finnish-hudsonish

[signingpuckerman]

Of Lambs & Olive Branches [Quick]

[theqfabs]

signingpuckerman·:

He had to strain to hear her when her face angled away from him enough that he couldn’t read her lips. He thought he caught it, but it was more of the same, more maybes on top of her I don’t know.

He supposed he shouldn’t have been surprised. For as much as she’d made the bulk of the decisions during everything with Beth, he couldn’t expect her to have all the answers. It was something, though, that she didn’t just shut him down then and there. Maybe they’d never be friends – maybe there was just too much crap between them for that to ever happen – but he’d been honest when he said he didn’t want to hate her. End of the day and no matter how shit went, he’d loved her at some point. Maybe they’d be okay with each other eventually.

He nodded sharply, jaw tight, and exhaled through his teeth. “Okay.” He glanced over her shoulder, grimacing. “Should I run for my life before your mom knows I’m here?”

Quinn knew there was no overnight fix to things, even if part of her wished there could have been. She wasn’t sure she wanted Puck in her life, but she also wasn’t sure that she didn’t want him there. It was complicated and she knew they both needed time to figure out everything that had happened. Sometimes it still feels things had just happened, even if they a few months to work through things. 

“I think she’s doing things for her wine tasting with her singles group,” Quinn shrugged, figuring that he was looking for a reason to leave. “She probably didn’t even realize that I came outside.”

Her foot scuffed against the floor for a moment, unsure if he wanted to be here or if he was looking for a way to leave by asking about her mom. She signed softly before dropping her arms to her side, feeling slightly weird about everything the longer she started to think about things. 

“Did you want to go or were you planning on staying?”

[theqfabs]

Text || Fuinn

F: What if, like, someone got in a car accident? Or the school burned down? Or one of Rachel's dads has a heart attack?

F: Or there's a tornado?

F: Thanks. I appreciate it, too.

Q: I mean, all of those things are bad things. I'm not necessarily sure they're personally worse for you. Minus like, your house getting destroyed or something.

Q: I'm not too worried about it.

[theqfabs]

Text || Fuinn

F: That's a question I try real hard not to dwell on. Because I think the answer is always yes, and the possibilities are kinda terrifying.

F: Maybe. You can put me in the 'would stick up for' column. You've been through enough crap. You don't deserve more.

Q: I don't know if they could.

Q: I appreciate it. I'll make sure I'm there to stand up for you if anyone tries to say or do anything.

[signingpuckerman]

Of Lambs & Olive Branches [Quick]

[theqfabs]

signingpuckerman·:

He nodded and mumbled something he thought had been along the lines of a you’re welcome before he let his gaze shift away. There. He’d done it. He’d done his good deed – he’d done the decent thing after the shit he’d put her through last year. He could turn around and leave.

“Is shit always gonna be like this?” came out instead when he looked back towards her. It wasn’t the see ya he’d intended to say. He tried not to think about the fact that, even to his shitty hearing, he sounded tired. 

He didn’t like fighting with her. Snark, sure, but things had been a mess between them for a long time. Whatever weird feelings he still had for her – mixed up confusion of if he was still in love with a girl or if he just loved her because of Beth – didn’t mean he liked how they’d been.

“I don’t wanna hate you,” he confessed. “I don’t hate you. I just…don’t know how to talk to you anymore.” He shoved his hands into his pockets like it would keep him from signing along as he spoke. “You and Finn are all about moving on this year. How the fuck do we?”

Could they move on at all? Trust could get rebuilt, but with him and Quinn, there was always going to be some missing piece.

Quinn had been expecting him to turn and live, neither of them probably interested in prolonging awkwardness. The two of them clearly had a lot that they needed to work through and Quinn wasn’t sure if she was ready to deal with all of that yet. Maybe with more than a few months time between things they could figure something out, but she also wasn’t sure what it would take for the two of them to get there. 

“I don’t know,” she said honestly, not really knowing how to answer the question he had asked. 

Part of her was surprised that he was even worried about fixing thing. Most of the time it seemed like he was more than okay with things being the way they were, which is why she hadn’t really considered figuring out how to fix them. 

“Things are different, you can’t compare them.” She wasn’t sure how she had managed to get Finn to even consider forgiving her, but it seemed like they were somehow moving past things. It wasn’t that easy with Puck, they had been through something that wasn’t like they could just move past it, even though she would have liked to. 

Her eyes moved down to the ground, feet shuffling slightly on the wood of the porch. There wasn’t really much she could say to him, but she wished she could have given him some kind of answer because she figured that he really wanted one. 

“Maybe things will just figure themselves out.”

[theqfabs]

Text || Fuinn

F: Yeah, maybe. Hopefully.

F: That was the biggest reason I was thinking, but I'd like to think if anyone was messing with us we'd stick together. I don't have a lot of evidence to back that up. though.

Q: Can they really be worse?

Q: Maybe. I think it would depend on the person. I'm not too sure too many people would stick up for me, mostly because they'd think I deserve it.

[theqfabs]

Text || Fuinn

F: I'm kinda more used to bad surprises, though.

F: Good. I'm glad you're sticking around. It's like a family in there, and it wouldn't be the same without you.

Q: Maybe things will be different this year.

Q: Minus all of us fighting constantly, do you think there's anything else that makes us similar to a family?

[signingpuckerman]

Of Lambs & Olive Branches [Quick]

[theqfabs]

signingpuckerman·:

This was a horrible idea, he thought again when she opened the door. He’d come by a couple times over the summer, but it had been right in the aftermath of them signing the papers. Most times he’d pulled up, he hadn’t had it in him to even get out of the car. The whole place just felt heavy.

He supposed it was a small mercy, though, that her mom hadn’t been the one to answer the door. He was pretty sure the woman had hated him even before he’d gotten her daughter pregnant. He doubted she liked him any more now.

He wanted to look down, because looking at her was something he still only felt okay with some days. Pain. Hurt. Memories. He had a mountain of bullshit to work through with Finn, but he wasn’t sure his mountain of shit with Quinn was all that much smaller.

Different mountains with more jagged edges.

He let out a breath and focused his eyes at the edge of her jaw instead of at her face. “Found this when I was cleaning out some shit,” he told her, arm extending a bit as he held out the stuffed lamb. “Figured you might want it back.”

A million thoughts ran through Quinn’s mind as she tried to figure out why Puck might have been there. She knew he wasn’t going to attempt to start any kind of argument, at least she hoped he was smart enough to avoid doing that. There were too many people that could overhear things from their position on her front porch and it seemed like they were both on track to get over things.

The last thing that crossed her mind was that he’d be returning something that she hadn’t even realized she had left at his house. Her eyes focused on the lamb for a moment before she reached out to take it, wondering how she hadn’t realized that she forgot it. 

“Thank you,” she said honestly, holding it at her side, “I figured between moving around it got lost somewhere.”

She stood silently for a few moments, unsure of what else she was supposed to say. Things were awkward at best and she wasn’t sure they were going to get better anytime soon. Was she in a position to try to make things better or did they both just need more time?

“I really appreciate it,” she added, wanting him to know that it actually meant something to her. 

[theqfabs]

Text || Fuinn

F: Oh. Yeah, I guess we'll see. My hopes aren't up.

F: That's fair. But you're staying in Glee, right?

F: Maybe, maybe not. I guess if you did think that it would depend on your reasons, but you don't so it doesn't really matter.

Q: More surprising things have happened.

Q: For now. I mean, that sounds threatening but I don't have intentions on leaving.

Q: I don't. I really don't.

[theqfabs]

Text || Fuinn

F: I guarantee you we're going to lose. I think that's always a safe bet.

F: I think she doesn't think things through and she wants the best outcome. I don't know if it's tied to respect, but she's trying to will good luck or something.

F: Oh. Well. Yeah that's kind of a mess. I thought you were saying it was ridiculous she'd want to date me.

Q: I meant more along the lines of you playing.

Q: Maybe. I don't exactly know her and I don't really have intentions on getting to know her after everything.

Q: I'm not entirely sure it would be fair of me to think that.

[theqfabs]

Text || Fuinn

F: What about Thursday? I have a bench to warm on Friday.

F: I think she does, I just think she’s bad at showing it.

F: What’s ridiculous about that?

Q: Thursday works. And who knows what will happen during the game.

Q: Do you really think she would have done everything she did if she respected any of us?

Q: It's more of the blackmailing someone into a date that's ridiculous no matter who it is.

[theqfabs]

Text || Fuinn

F: I'll take it.

F: You don't think she respects my opinion?

F: I'm the stupidest person for her to blackmail. I don't really have secrets. Plus I'd probably just DO it if she asked nicely as long as it wasn't something insane.

Q: Just let me know when.

Q: I don't think she respects anyone.

Q: She wouldn't blackmail you for secrets. She'd probably agree if you said that you'd go out with her or something equally ridiculous.

[signingpuckerman]

Of Lambs & Olive Branches [Quick]

[theqfabs]

signingpuckerman·:

This was a horrible idea.

He turned his truck off, staring up at the house. It had been months. It was a dumb, stuffed toy. What would Quinn even care if he tossed it?

But it was one of the things Quinn had apparently made sure to grab when she’d gotten kicked out of her house and, then, when she’d left Finn’s. He didn’t know the story behind it – if there even was one – or the significance, but Quinn gave a shit about the ratty little thing.

He looked over at the stuffed lamb sitting on his passenger seat. Worn. Old. He wasn’t sure the stuffing in it was entirely even anymore. The thing’s story was none of his business, but he could at least return it to the person that gave a shit about it.

He unhooked his hearing aids from around his ears and dropped them into the center console before he got out, lamb in hand. Ringing the bell took another breath and he strained to hear the echo of it inside.

Wondered if she’d even answer if she saw his truck parked outside.

The sound of a car stopping outside of the house grabbed Quinn’s attention and she glanced out the window, eyes instantly glaring as she noticed whose vehicle was sitting outside. Part of her was ready to go outside and start arguing with him, mostly because she figured there was no reason for him to be at her house for anything other than an argument.

She was moving down the stairs before he was even out of his truck, her mom somewhere in the house doing god knows what. “I got it,” she called out, wanting her to know that she didn’t need to move whenever the doorbell went off. Once she reached the door, she took a moment and took a deep breath, not wanting look like she had ran from her bedroom to make sure she got to the door first.

Her face was neutral as she pulled the door open, not wanting him to know that he still got under her skin. She was tired of being angry all the time and she figured for him to be there, there had to be some reason behind it. All she had to do was give him three minutes to tell her what that reasoning was. 

“What?” She asked, still unsure if she should let him inside of the house. “My mom is home and I don’t want her making a big deal out of you being here.”

[theqfabs]

Text || Fuinn

F: No but if I'm good at it AND the place has someone working all the time, then I need a diversion.

F: Yeah I guess that's true. We need more people.

F: No. I would be more surprised and probably a little afraid if she didn't. I'm gonna talk to her about it.

F: But like I said, we need people. She can't be scaring them off. Or recruiting through dating. Her methods are kinda nuts.

Q: A diversion is all I'm willing to be.

Q: You're probably the only person that she'd actually listen to, and it's not because she respects your opinion. Don't be surprised if she tries to blackmail you into something that you don't want to do in order to try to get something for the entire club.

[theqfabs]

Text || Fuinn

F: Yeah, but I think maybe you'd be a good partner in crime. Everyone knows you need a diversion person.

F: Do we think that's really gonna happen?

F: I heard Rachel scared away a good singer. We need numbers and she's like sending people on really bad scavenger hunts or whatever it was.

Q: You don’t need diversions whenever you’re good at something. We’ll see. I don’t know if it would end up working out.

Q: It’s possible, right? We made it that far last year on our first attempt, who knows what we could do by senior year.

Q: Are you really surprised that Rachel would try to sabotage things because someone might get a song over her?