Diva Training for Dummies (F/F Glee Faberry)

[wannablessedbe]

Hey gang! Here's a sweet little one-shot inspired by this week's episode of Glee (sort of--I Faberried it, like I do with everything!), combined with the actual current weather conditions in NYC. I admit, having the glee graduates "living" in my neighborhood does make the imagination flow a little easier sometimes. Hope y'all enjoy!

…..................................................................................................................................................................

Diva Training for Dummies

By WannaBlessedBe

…..................................................................................................................................................................

Quinn knew it was going to be a lousy day the moment the alarm went off. She'd never really been a morning person, despite the insane hours she'd diligently kept in her Cheerio days; but usually she could drag herself out of bed and into the bathroom without utterly hating the world. Not today. With the cold, grey light of a pre-snowstorm sky peeking in through the blinds, and the quiet hissing of the radiator from the corner of the room, the blonde girl desperately wanted to roll over, snuggle into her girlfriend's warm body, and go right back to sleep.

That wasn't going to happen, though—Rachel was already out of bed, and probably out on one of her early-morning workouts with Santana, an activity she'd pursued almost religiously since winning NYADA's winter showcase. With a cranky sigh, Quinn sat up and rubbed her eyes, wishing it were Saturday instead of Friday, wishing the snow that had been forecast for that night had already begun, and classes were cancelled for the day. But the grey sky outside was clear and bleak, casting a dull grey light over the busy Brooklyn street below. It took several more minutes for the blonde girl to rally herself out of bed; she didn't feel sick, just so tired. But she kept reminding herself that it was Friday, and she only had 3 classes to get through, and then she could be lazy all weekend if she wanted to. With that somewhat more cheerful thought, Quinn climbed out of bed, shivering in the chilly morning air, and stumbled down the hall to the shower.

She was sitting at the kitchen table with her coffee, poking at a soggy bowl of cereal, when Rachel returned from her workout in a blur of motion. She barely said hello as she brushed past Quinn on her way to the shower, dumping her workout bag on a chair and peeling her clothes off on the way to the shower.

“Make me some coffee too, 'kay babydoll? But put it in a travel mug, I'm running late.” Rachel's voice echoed down the hall as she was already halfway to the shower, not even giving Quinn the opportunity to respond. The dark-haired girl's diva side had been exerting itself more and more strongly ever since she won the winter showcase. And Quinn had been so proud, at first she didn't notice or mind being treated a little like a personal assistant rather than a girlfriend; but over the last few weeks, it had gotten increasingly out of hand. If she wasn't still so sleepy and groggy, she would've followed the little starlet down the hall and laid down the law right then and there. But right now, she honestly just didn't have the energy.

With a soft sigh, Quinn pushed down the feelings of disappointment and neglect that welled up in her stomach at her girlfriend's dismissive behavior; usually, Rachel was the first one to notice her bad moods, or tell her when she was pushing herself too hard and needed a break (usually, making her point with as many kisses and snuggles as the blonde girl could take). Soon, they were going to have to have a talk about the very fine line between “diva” and “total jerk.” But not right now. Rubbing her eyes, Quinn pulled on her coat and slung her messenger bag over her shoulder, trooping out listlessly into the frigid winter air, and hoping she wouldn't embarrass herself by falling asleep in class.

…................................................................................................................

Quinn did end up making it through the day, if only just barely; and by the time she got out of her last class, the blizzard that had been predicted had begun, sending a slushy mix of snow and ice from the heavy grey clouds overhead, making the blonde girl pick her way carefully through the slippery streets to the subway, and finally, home to her cozy Brooklyn apartment, where she hoped fervently that her girlfriend would be waiting. Quinn may have been a little annoyed with Rachel's narcissistic behavior lately, but it wasn't as if she'd never lived through it before; and she knew her little diva would snap out of it soon enough, and turn back into the doting and adoring girlfriend she'd always been. And right now, Quinn definitely felt like she could use a little doting. Her head had been pounding all day, totally unaffected by the Advil she'd downed, and probably not helped any by the constant sniffling that had begun in the early afternoon. She knew she should stop and get some cold medicine on the way home, but she was so tired; she just wanted to get home and crawl into bed.

“Hhih...hht'chxiuh!! *Snghf.*” Quinn shivered as she pitched forward in the swirling snow, sneezing sharply into her mittens as her sleet-dampened hair fell across her face. “Hhh'chiiew!!! Hh...hhh'cheww!! *Snfl.*” She sniffled a few times more, soft and wet, and wiped her chilled nose on the cuff of her coat, feeling miserable and sorry for herself that there was no one there to bless her, give her a tissue, and tell her, don't worry, I'll get your cold medicine baby. She wanted her girlfriend, and she wanted her bed, now. All other concerns forgotten, Quinn turned her back on the drug store and trudged slowly home, one foot in front of the other, until she was finally at her own front door.

She felt a pang of disappointment at the quiet darkness inside; she'd really been hoping that Rachel would be home first this time, to cuddle her and make her tea and maybe fuss a little over her cold. Quinn knew she wasn't really that sick, but a little bit of fussing from her girlfriend always went a long way toward helping her feel better. R u coming home soon? She texted her girlfriend as she peeled off her soaked coat and boots, leaving them in a heap by the door as another stuffy tickle welled up in the back of her nostrils, making her tilt her head back so her damp hair brushed against her back as she pressed her knuckles under her cold, runny nose. “EhhISH'sheww!! Ishhiiew!!! *Snnfl*...”

Quinn sighed miserably, wiping her nose on her hand as she stumbled down the hall, peeling off her damp clothes and crawling into bed sniffling and shivering. She curled herself into a tight ball under the covers, hoping to warm up a little faster; and in a few minutes, she was fast asleep.

The next time Quinn opened her eyes, it was completely dark, though a glance at the bedside clock told her it was just a little after 7. She'd been asleep over two and a half hours. Rachel had to be home by now, she thought to herself, rubbing her eyes and sitting up woozily in bed, shivering as the blankets fell away, and the cool night air hit her skin. Slowly, the blonde girl stumbled out of bed, noting with disappointment that there didn't seem to be any light peeking under the bedroom door from the rest of the apartment. Rubbing sleepily at her nose, she pulled on a pair of soft flannel pajamas and warm knit socks, finding a box of tissues from the bedside cabinet and taking it with her as she left the bedroom and shuffled down the darkened hallway to the rest of the apartment.

No Rachel. The blonde girl actually whined out loud in disappointment, her hazel eyes filling up with tears as they took in the empty apartment. “Where are you, Rach?” She grumbled quietly, pulling a tissue from the box as her stuffy nose gave a little twitch that reached all the way up to her eyes, making them flutter involuntarily. “Hhuh...ehhtchiuh!!!” Quinn pressed the tissue firmly to the bottom of her nose as her shoulders jerked forward, her head throbbing dizzily with the congested force of her sneeze. She sniffled miserably, rubbing her wet nose through the crumpled tissue, feeling even worse than she had before her nap. Her head felt like it had been shrink-wrapped; her ears and sinuses were plugged up and pounding, and she wondered vaguely if she had an ear infection, and ought to call in for some antibiotics. But, again, exhaustion won out, and she could only muster the energy to fill the little kettle with water, and put it on the stove to heat up while she fumbled through the cabinets for a mug, tea, and honey.

That was when the front door finally swung open, and the bright-eyed, snow-dusted form of one Rachel Berry breezed in, her cheeks pink and glowing from the cold air outside as she brushed snow and ice off her hat and coat before taking them off and hanging them neatly on the rack by the door.

“Quinn, did you leave all your stuff on the floor here?” The dark-haired girl complained as she kicked her boots off and left them on the matt to dry. “I hope you don't expect me to clean up after you, I have more important things to do than play maid, you know.” Without waiting for an answer, Rachel glanced up and saw Quinn standing over the kettle, pouring hot water into a steaming mug; and offhandedly, she added, “Oh, good, you're making tea. Make me some too, 'kay babe? Half a lemon wedge and a teaspoon of honey, the vocal conditioning special. I gotta get in the shower quick, we're rushing the new Wicked revival with Kurt and Santana, I forgot to tell you.”

Rachel was halfway across the room as she babbled inattentively; and was therefore completely caught off guard as the mug of hot tea crashed against the wall about ten feet to her left. “Jesus Christ, Quinn! What the hell is wrong with you?!” Finally, the little diva's attention was drawn to her girlfriend, who was staring across the room at her with bright tears spilling from her tired hazel eyes. Impatiently, Rachel taped her foot, hands on her hips, waiting for a response. “Well? You've got nothing to say? You just chucked a ceramic mug of hot tea at me. I'm lucky to be alive.”

“I dided't throw it adywhere ndear you,” Quinn huffed, pulling a fresh tissue from the box and wiping hastily at her nose, which, now that Rachel was looking right at her, was noticeably pink and tender. “Mbake your ownd God damb tea, jerk.”

“Aww, angelfish...” Rachel shook her head, her haze of self-involvement and inattention finally broken as she crossed the room to her pale and shivering girlfriend, who just sat down on the floor and put her face in her hands as she burst into tears. “Oh honey, I'm sorry, I'm sorry,” Rachel cooed, kneeling down on the kitchen floor beside her baby and hugging her tight, feeling the shivers wracking the blonde girl's body and the heat radiating from her skin.

“I'mb sorry I threw the tea at you,” Quinn sniffled miserably, dropping her head limply on her girlfriend's shoulder as she finally gave in to the warmth and comfort of the familiar arms wrapped around her. “I just wadted you to...*snghf!*...to ndotice...”

“I know baby, I know,” Rachel hummed softly, stroking Quinn's hair, then drawing back a bit to feel her girlfriend's flushed forehead. “Poor little thing, you're burning up with fever. Forget the rush, we can see those idiots any time. We're staying right here tonight so I can take care of my girl. Well, not right here...the couch would probably be a bit more comfy.” Quinn giggled weakly at Rachel's tentative joke, then broke into a rattling cough.

“Yeah. Couch...souhds good,” the blonde girl sighed when she'd recovered her breath, allowing the little starlet to help her to her feet, then steer her the short distance to the living room sofa, where they cuddled up together under the heavy afghan Rachel settled over them both.

“Is that better, baby girl? Are you warm enough?” The dark-haired girl asked, all the haughtiness and self-absorption of the past few days and weeks gone from her gentle voice as she stroked Quinn's pale face.

“Yeah, thadks,” Quinn sighed, wiping the cuff of her pajama top under her pink nose with a soft, liquid sniffle. “But I...j-just...” The blonde girl's lower lip quivered helplessly as she pressed the damp cuff of her soft flannel pajamas back to the wet underside of her nose, breath hitching deeply in her chest. “Uhh...” Eyes closed, she pressed the damp cuff a little harder against her quavering pink nostrils as they twitched helplessly wide open. “Hhih'tchiiew!! *Snfl.*”

“Bless you, Quinnie-pie,” The little starlet hummed, stroking her girlfriend's blonde hair back from her face and kissing her warm forehead. “You need some tissues and a major dose of NyQuil. Don't move, okay angel? I'll be right back.” With an infectiously sweet smile, Rachel kissed the raw, pink tip of her girlfriend's runny nose, and climbed out from under the covers to fetch her the necessary goodies. Quinn yawned and rubbed her eyes, woozy and confused as to how she'd managed to snap her girlfriend back to reality so quickly and thoroughly, without having to even say a word. I should throw things more often, the blonde girl decided sleepily, as her doting girlfriend returned carrying a tray with tissues, cold medicine, and two fresh cups of tea, tendrils of steam still wafting off the surface.

“There, now, we're all ready to snuggle,” Rachel nodded, putting the tray down on the coffee table and rejoining Quinn under the covers, before pouring out a large dose of the bright red medicine and tipping it down the blonde girl's throat. Anticipating her sour face after swallowing it down, Rachel handed over the tea, blowing on it first so it wouldn't be too hot for her.

“Thadks, starfish,” the blonde girl murmured sleepily, hoping her use of the affectionate nickname would show Rachel that she wasn't mad anymore.

“Anything for you, angelfish,” Rachel smiled back, pulling a tissue from the box and pinching it gently to her girlfriend's runny nose. “Here, blow.” Too sleepy to argue, Quinn closed her eyes and blew softly into the tissue, feeling slightly better as her head emptied of some of its congestion. “Poor baby, why didn't you tell me you weren't feeling good, hmm?”

“I...*snghf*...I dod't doe,” Quinn admitted with a woozy yawn. “I guess I just ndever had to before...you usually ndotice I'b sigck before I do.”

“Aww, baby...I'm so sorry I've been such a nightmare lately. I promise, I'll never let it happen again.” The dark-haired girl nodded emphatically, as if the matter were settled. The blonde girl smiled sleepily.

“Well, it's okay if it happeds every...*snghf!*...every odce id a...a while...hhuh...” Breath hitching, Quinn groped for the box of tissues; but Rachel beat her to it, pinching a soft, fresh tissue to her girlfriend's pink nose just as the glistening nostrils flared wide. “Ahh'aahtchew!!! *Snfl.*” Quinn sneezed breathlessly into the tissue Rachel held for her, sniffling softly as her girlfriend gently wiped her nose, then pinched it a little harder, instructing her to blow again.

“Better?” Rachel asked gently, tossing the used-up tissue onto the small pile on the coffee table, playfully kissing the pink tip of Quinn's nose again.

“Yeah,” Quinn nodded shyly, feeling a blush color her cheeks that she was pretty sure had nothing to do with her fever. Yes, it was definitely okay for Rachel to get a little carried away with herself every once in a while...if this was how the dark-haired starlet planned to make it up to her.

Edited February 11, 2013 by wannablessedbe

[NoV]

Although I still have never watched an episode of Glee, I greatly enjoy reading your stories - your writing gets better and better Nice sneezes too

[Yuuki]

i love your fics, hope you are going to continue this ^^

[SneezeformeKristen]

Haven't seen glee but your stories are AMAZING

[honkmaster]

Great job wannablessedbe.

[purpleninja]

Adorable!! And I could picture the whole thing so well, especially seeing as I watched this episode this morning. So cute, and I, too, hope it's continued

[BootyBurgers]

This is literally so adorable and perfect