The Stubborn Olympics (F/F) - (6 Parts)

[wannablessedbe]

The Stubborn Olympics

A Glee fic! (Rachel/Quinn)

By WannaBlessedBe

Summary: Slightly AU—takes place post-sectionals, with Quinn living at Rachel’s house, established relationship (you could even imagine this as an extra chapter in the Glee fic I’m currently writing at fanfiction.net—I don’t want to post a straight link here, but just go to the site and search for “JewWitch”—that’s me!!—and you’ll find it).

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It was a crappy rehearsal. The first they’d had since winning sectionals. Everyone seemed off their game in some way; they were stepping on each other’s feet, missing their cues, sniping at each other over their botched choreography. And then, to top it all off, Rachel’s voice cracked on a high note in her solo, which no one had ever heard happen before. Her face turned beet red, and when Mr. Shue asked if she was all right, she just snapped that she was only human and it wouldn’t happen again.

Quinn, who knew Rachel’s moods better than anyone by now, didn’t say anything in front of the group; but when they were dismissed, and the others had all filed out, she slipped her hand into Rachel’s slightly smaller one and kissed her on the cheek.

“You okay, my little star?”

“I’m fine, Quinn. I can handle one mistake, okay? My ego isn’t that fragile,” Rachel huffed, pulling the pregnant girl along at a slightly brisker pace than necessary, like she was eager to leave the miserable rehearsal behind as quickly as possible.

“I know you can handle it. That wasn’t what I meant,” Quinn explained, slowing her pace and tilting her head to examine the shorter girl’s face. “I was actually asking if you’re feeling okay. I’ve never heard your voice crack like that before, and I thought maybe you might be coming down with something?”

“No, I’m fine. Just really tired.” Rachel sighed, looking back at Quinn with a reluctant half-smile. “But thanks for being so attentive.” Quinn giggled at Rachel’s characteristic bluntness, and leaned in to give her a quick kiss. Rachel tugged her back when she tried to pull away, kissing the blonde girl a little longer and a little deeper.

“Mmm…you taste like sunshine,” Rachel sighed, making Quinn blush and smile just like always.

“And you taste like starlight,” the blonde girl replied, with a soft sigh that turned into an unexpected yawn.

“Aww, you’re tired too, huh?” Rachel cooed, tucking a stray lock of Quinn’s hair back behind her ear.

“Mmm,” Quinn murmured, rubbing her eyes. “It’s been a long day. C’mon, let’s go home and be lazy couch potatoes.” Rachel didn’t need to be told twice.

They both changed into t-shirts and flannel pajama pants as soon as they got home, and curled up on the couch to watch some mindless TV. When Jacob (who was Rachel’s stay-at-home dad, and who worked as a freelance graphic designer from his home office) came downstairs to start dinner, he found them both asleep on the couch, curled up with their foreheads pressed together. He decided not to wake them, because they both looked so exhausted; he just turned off the TV, drawing the blinds shut so the setting sun wouldn’t shine in their eyes and disturb their rest.

When Michael, Rachel’s other dad, came home from work, he snapped a quick picture of their peacefully sleeping faces before gently shaking his daughter’s shoulder.

“Uhhh…go away,” Rachel mumbled, not opening her eyes.

“Hey kids, it’s dinnertime,” Michael said gently, moving his hand over to lightly shake Quinn awake, too. “Nap time’s over.”

“Mm-hmm,” Quinn sighed absently, burrowing her face a little deeper into Rachel’s hair. She didn’t open her eyes, either.

“C’mon girls, up and at ‘em. Five minutes, okay?”

“Mmm,” Rachel mumbled.

“Rachel, are you awake?” Michael persisted, poking her shoulder a little harder.

“Yes! Fine! Now go away,” Rachel snapped, finally opening her eyes a crack to give her dad a cranky glare.

“Ohhhh-kayyyy,” Michael hummed, too used to his daughter’s teenage mood swings to be upset by a little groggy sniping. He gave them both a light pat on the head before walking to the kitchen to kiss his husband hello. Rachel really wanted to go back to sleep as soon as her dad left; her eyes still felt so heavy, like she’d only just closed them, and she really wasn’t hungry at all. But Quinn was still curled up limply around her, unmoving, and Rachel didn’t want to be responsible for making the pregnant girl miss dinner.

“Quinn, wake up,” Rachel murmured, slipping her hand under the blond girl’s t-shirt to rub her back, which always helped to rouse her in the morning when the alarm didn’t.

“Mmm…later,” Quinn mumbled back, shifting slightly and winding an arm around Rachel’s waist, claiming her like an oversized teddy bear.

“But it’s dinnertime, sunshine,” Rachel yawned, blinking unwillingly until her eyes cleared, and Quinn’s face, still relaxed in sleep, came into view. “C’mon, we gotta feed you, right?”

“No,” Quinn whined, the pout audible in her voice as she pressed her face into Rachel’s shoulder. “Food later…sleep now…” It was extremely tempting for the dark-haired girl to follow her girlfriend’s lead and close her eyes again…but she took her responsibility toward the pregnant girl very seriously, and she couldn’t ignore the importance of dinner to the growing baby. Reluctantly, Rachel sat up, pulling herself out of Quinn’s limp arms.

“Hey,” Quinn whined again, finally opening her eyes to look imploringly up at Rachel’s stern, slightly irritable expression.

“Up,” Rachel grumbled, tugging on Quinn’s hand.

“O-kay,” Quinn sighed, sounding equally cranky as she finally sat up, blinking dazedly. Neither of them made a move toward actually getting off the couch, however; they just sat there rubbing their eyes and yawning until Michael came back in from the kitchen to hustle them along.

“Must have been a rough day at school today,” Jacob observed when they finally came to the table, bleary-eyed and rumpled.

“Long rehearsal,” Rachel shrugged, flopping down into her chair.

“Very long,” Quinn agreed, mimicking Rachel’s limp posture as she sat down.

“Well…nothing your dad’s spaghetti Bolognese can’t fix, huh?” Michael replied, dishing out food around the table.

“Thanks, Daddy,” Rachel smiled wanly, coming back to herself a bit. She picked up a piece of garlic bread and began nibbling on it. “Quinn, you’re not eating,” she observed, nudging her girlfriend’s foot under the table.

“Hmm? Sorry,” Quinn yawned, still looking not quite awake. But she smiled sleepily, took the offered bread basket, and started nibbling, too. Jacob and Michael began their usual dinnertime discussion of their respective days, while Quinn and Rachel poked at their food.

“Rachel, honey, are you all right? You’re barely touching your spaghetti, and it’s your favorite,” Jacob said eventually, eyeing his daughter with a slightly mother-hennish expression.

“I’m just not very hungry,” Rachel shrugged, not wanting to admit that swallowing was making her throat hurt. Normally she wouldn’t hesitate to tell her dads she wasn’t feeling well, and let them spoil her with homemade chicken soup and tea in bed; but with Quinn here, she felt a strange obligation to be strong and dependable. She didn’t want the pregnant girl to feel like she had to take care of Rachel—especially since she was obviously wasn’t feeling great, either.

“Quinn, don’t you like your spaghetti?” Rachel piped up, deflecting her dad’s concern.

“I’m just sleepy,” Quinn sighed, smiling apologetically. “Sorry Jacob, it’s really good. Honest.” Aware of all their eyes on her, Quinn twirled a large bite of spaghetti around her fork and popped it in her mouth. She tried not to wince when she swallowed, but Rachel was watching her a little too closely.

“Are you getting sick?” the dark-haired girl asked, her usual bluntness slightly dampened by her obvious concern.

“No. I’m just tired. Are you?”

“No.”

“And I’ll believe that when I see you both eat your dinner,” Jacob frowned, raising his eyebrow at them.

Keen to avoid an argument, both girls ate as much as they could, then brought their plates to the sink, still half-full, before going upstairs to do their homework. Quinn could hear Rachel sniffling softly as they walked up the stairs, but didn’t say anything, figuring there was no point in starting an argument. If Rachel didn’t want to admit she was sick, Quinn wouldn’t put her on the spot; she’d just make sure they went to bed early, and try to sneak in a request for orange juice that, hopefully, they could share.

They trudged through their homework quietly, both too tired to talk. Rachel noticed Quinn rubbing her nose on her sleeve every few minutes, but instead of pointing it out, she just pretended she had to pee, returning with a box of tissues from the hall closet and casually placing it on the bedside table. Then they spent an awkward 20 minutes stubbornly waiting for the other to take the first tissue. Rachel’s t-shirt didn’t have long sleeves, and rather that wiping her nose on her wrist, which she thought was kind of gross, she tried to sniffle back the wet congestion that was steadily increasing inside her head. It helped a little at first, but the longer it went on, the shorter the periods of relief grew, and the ticklish feeling in the back of her nose was growing very distracting. Silently, she raised a hand and pinched it around the bottom of her nose, trying to squash the sneeze that was stubbornly building inside her head.

“Hch'chiiew! Ugh,” Rachel groaned, suddenly finding herself hunched over her math notes with both hands cupped to her face.

“God bless you, sweetie,” Quinn said gently, finally reaching for a tissue from the bedside table and passing it to her dark-haired girlfriend.

“Uhhh…thadk you,” Rachel sniffled, grabbing the offered tissue and wiping her nose as quickly as she could, too embarrassed to blow her nose in front of the blonde girl. She just knew it was going to be loud and wet and gross-sounding, and she didn’t want Quinn to hear it.

“Are you sure you’re not getting sick?” Quinn pressed, reaching out to touch the back of her hand to Rachel’s forehead.

“Yup,” Rachel nodded casually, swiping the tissue under her nose once more before balling it up and tossing it in the garbage.

“Okay,” Quinn shrugged, too tired to fight. They both went back to their homework for a few more minutes. Then Quinn, who was almost (but not quite) as stubborn as Rachel, reached for a tissue. Rachel watched her quietly pinch it around her nose, eyes closed, for a few silent seconds, rubbing lightly under her nostrils, like she was trying to coax her sneeze out. Finally, she shivered and snapped forward with a soft “Chhiew!”

“Bless you,” Rachel said immediately, handing her a fresh tissue.

“Thadks,” Quinn sniffled quietly, displaying none of Rachel’s reluctance to blow her nose in front of her girlfriend.

“You sound all stuffed up, sunshine. You sure you’re not catching a cold?”

“Me?” Quinn asked, raising an eyebrow indignantly. “What about you?”

“I told you, I’m fine,” Rachel shrugged, furious with herself when she felt a blush rising in her cheeks.

“Well I’m fine, too,” Quinn replied sweetly, tossing her own crumpled tissues into the bin with Rachel’s.

“Okay,” Rachel shrugged awkwardly. Then they both went back to their homework, sniffling quietly.

...Continue?

[Owen]

YES! definetly continue, this is awesome!

[tFM!]

Awesomeness! I've been reading your story on FanFiction.net (but, like the creeper I am, I haven't commented on it...it's great though ) and this is totally beast as an extra chapter. I would absolutely love it if you continued.

[Marceline]

YAY! more Glee! I just recently stated watching the show, and it's the best. thing. ever. Your writing is awesomeeee as usual! Love it!

[zneeze]

I never watched Glee, but I can easily tell this is great!

[wannablessedbe]

hey guys,

thanks for the feedback! glad you're digging this. here's another part

--WBB

The Stubborn Olympics

Chapter 2

By WannaBlessedBe

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Quinn normally wouldn’t mind admitting to Rachel that she didn’t feel good, and letting her girlfriend coddle her with extra attention, cuddles, tea, or anything else she could think of—but it was so obvious right now that Rachel felt just as crappy as Quinn did, the blonde girl couldn’t stand to make any demands on her. She was absolutely determined not to ask Rachel for anything, or give any indication that she was sick, until Rachel did. The not complaining part was easy enough—she’d gotten used to that over the years of grueling cheerleading practices with Coach Sylvester—but she couldn’t stop her nose from running by sheer willpower alone. Even though the tissues were sitting on the bedside table right beside her, she knew that taking one would only invite more well-intentioned interrogation from the dark-haired girl; so she just kept sniffling softly and pressing the back of her sleeve under her nose when she felt it dripping. If only Rachel would stop being so damn stubborn, and admit she was sick! Then Quinn could, too, without feeling guilty about it.

The pregnant girl glanced up from her homework to assess her girlfriend’s face, a little pale somehow under her dark olive skin, and a little sweaty, too. She hadn’t felt feverish when Quinn had felt her forehead earlier, but she certainly looked it now. Her dark eyes were all glassed over, and Quinn was pretty sure she wasn’t really doing her English reading, but just staring down absently at the words on the page. When she saw a little shiver run up the smaller girl’s back, Quinn decided it was time to take one for the team.

“Rach?”

“Huh?” Rachel blinked dazedly, giving the blonde girl a weary half-smile.

“I think it’s getting kind of cold in here…can we get under the covers?”

“Sure, baby,” Rachel nodded happily, the relief obvious in her eyes (at least to Quinn) as they slipped under the covers and snuggled down together with their books. The momentary distraction had taken Quinn’s attention away from her runny nose, which proved a mistake when she felt the slight tickle in the back of her head suddenly blossom into her nose, making her eyes well up and her breath catch in her chest.

“Chhiew! Hihh-tshiiew! *Sniff, sniffle.*” Quinn felt a shiver running down her own back when she sneezed, barely able to take a breath before sneezing again into her cupped hands, braced against her knees.

“Aww, bless you! Here,” Rachel passed her the Kleenex from the bedside table, tucking back a few strands of blonde hair that had fallen into the other girl’s face.

“Thadks,” Quinn sighed quietly, giving up on her battle with her runny nose for now, and blowing hard to clear her head. “Ughh, that’s better. *Sniffle.*”

“Quinn, you sound terrible. It’s time to stop being stubborn, okay? You’re sick. Let me take care of you,” Rachel implored, running a hand through the pregnant girl’s hair and lightly feeling her forehead, then her cheeks.

“I’m being stubborn?” Quinn snorted, scowling. “You’re the one being stubborn. You’re sick too, and you should be resting, not fussing over me.”

“I’m not sick,” Rachel whined, and Quinn sighed and rolled her eyes.

“Give it up, will you? You’re all sweaty and you barely ate anything at dinner, and you’re sniffling and sneezing just as much as me. Face it, we both caught something nasty, and we both need to relax a little,” Quinn sighed again, taking another tissue and dabbing lightly at her itchy nose, which was already starting to run again.

“You caught something nasty,” Rachel countered irritably, “so you’re the one who needs to rest. I feel fine, and I only sneezed once. One little sneeze is not a cold, Dr. Fabray.” Quinn’s eyes narrowed at Rachel’s teasing tone, bristling slightly at the patronizing note in her girlfriend’s voice. She knew that Rachel was only acting this way because she was sick and cranky; but Quinn was sick and cranky, too, and she wasn’t going to let Rachel win this time.

“Really.” She raised her eyebrow, giving the dark-haired starlet her most intimidating head-cheerleader-stare. Rachel blanched a little, and Quinn smirked evilly. “I’ll bet you sneeze again before I do.”

“Fine,” Rachel shrugged, feigning indifference. “I’m not going to sneeze again, and you obviously have a cold. It’s a fairly safe bet.”

“So if I win, you have to admit that you’re sick, too, and stop trying to take care of everything on your own,” Quinn pressed. Rachel blinked, clearly uncomfortable with this deal; but if she backed down now, it was as good as admitting Quinn was right. And Rachel was not about to admit that.

“Fine. And if I win, you have to stop arguing with me and let me take care of you.”

“Okay,” Quinn shrugged, snuggling back down under the covers with her book.

“Okay,” Rachel agreed, picking up her own reading and curling up against her pillow, feeling a slight sense of foreboding as she glanced over at the blonde girl beside her, who looked totally relaxed now. Shit, she thought silently.

For the next fifteen minutes, neither of them spoke. Quinn blew her nose a few times, which, Rachel realized too late, made it a lot easier for her to keep her sniffles in check. Rachel, on the other hand, still couldn’t bring herself to do it. Not only would it help prove Quinn’s point—that they really did both have the same cold—but she still felt painfully self-conscious about the idea of blowing her nose in front of her girlfriend. Sure, it was okay for Quinn; she had a cute little nose that came with cute little sneezes, and it really didn’t sound too bad when she blew her stuffy nose clear. Rachel, on the other hand, had loud, wet sneezes, and she was sure the sound of her blowing her nose when it was congested would gross out the blonde girl big time.

So while Quinn took all the tissues she needed, rubbing and blowing her pert little nose whenever it tickled or dripped, Rachel continued sniffling stubbornly. It tickled her terribly, but she found that she could control the itchy feeling a little by squeezing her eyes tightly shut and scrunching up her nose, which she did every couple of minutes. Quinn watched surreptitiously, finding the whole thing completely adorable; though it did give her a pang when Rachel opened her eyes looking so miserable, clearly distracted and irritated by the steadily intensifying urge to sneeze. The blonde girl comforted her guilty conscience by reminding herself that this was for Rachel’s own good; otherwise she was just going to run herself into the ground taking care of Quinn, while ignoring her own body’s needs.

Rachel glanced over at Quinn once the blonde girl looked back down at her homework, barely seeming to notice how often she rubbed at her nose anymore. Even though Rachel was annoyed that Quinn could blow her nose while she couldn’t, she also realized that all that rubbing and blowing was turning Quinn’s little nose all pink and raw. Maybe that would help tilt the odds in Rachel’s favor, after all; for while they both had runny noses now, Quinn’s was obviously more irritated. The dark-haired starlet felt a sharp pang of guilt for hoping her girlfriend would sneeze again, when she looked so exhausted and miserable—but she consoled herself with the knowledge that it was for Quinn’s own good. Once the pregnant girl lost this silly bet, she’d have to let Rachel take care of her, which was all she’d been trying to do in the first place. She closed her eyes and sighed wearily.

“You okay?” Quinn asked quietly, glancing up from her reading with one eyebrow arched.

“Uh-huh,” Rachel mumbled hastily, sniffling softly again.

“Your nose is running,” Quinn noted calmly, handing her stubborn girlfriend a tissue.

“So is yours,” Rachel grumbled crankily, but she took the offered tissue and rubbed it hastily against the wet underside of her nose. “Thadks,” she sniffed reluctantly.

“It’s not against the rules to blow your nose, you know,” Quinn said gently, taking pity on the dark-haired girl when she heard how stuffed up and miserable she sounded.

“That’s okay,” Rachel shrugged, pinching the tissue around her running nose in an attempt to squelch the itchy tickle without making any noise. “I…*sniff*…I don’t need to.”

“Stubborn,” Quinn grumbled quietly, taking another tissue for herself and blowing softly into it. Her nose was really irritated now, and she had to close her eyes and pinch the damp tissue around her nostrils, hard, to hold back the sneeze that welled up urgently in the back of her head. She took a small, sharp breath, and Rachel looked up hopefully. But after a few silent moments, Quinn sighed and opened her eyes with a weary half-smirk. Rachel pouted and looked back down at her homework, rubbing her nose on the crumpled tissue she still held.

A few more minutes passed before Rachel scrunched up her eyes and nose again, pressing the crumpled tissue under her nostrils when they flared furiously. A small whimper escaped from the back of her throat, and she rubbed the damp tissue roughly under her dripping nose, struggling to control her increasingly erratic breathing.

“It’s okay, baby,” Quinn cooed in Rachel’s ear, slipping out a hand to rub her girlfriend’s trembling back. “This is stupid, I can’t stand it. Stop holding it in, okay? The bet’s off. It’s okay to sneeze.” The idea of Quinn giving her permission to sneeze made Rachel so furious, her breath froze in her throat, and the itchy prickle lodged itself in the back of her nose. She opened her eyes and glared crankily at the blonde girl, a miserably ticklish expression on her face.

“I’b fide,” she grumbled mulishly, snatching the tissue Quinn held out for her and finally allowing herself a very small blow. It gave her a moment’s intense relief, but a second later, her nose was full of dripping-wet congestion again, tickling her nostrils, her throat, even the back of her eyes and inside her ears. Fighting was impossible; conscious thought was impossible. She cupped her hands to her face on autopilot as her eyes snapped shut and her cold-filled nostrils flared helplessly.

“Atchhiiew! Huhhhh…hehh-TSHIIEW! *Sniff, sniffle*…ohhh, fuck,” Rachel groaned, her dark eyes blinking open reluctantly, wincing slightly.

“Bless you, sweetie pie,” Quinn cooed, gently rubbing Rachel’s back while she coughed and blew her nose, for real this time. There was nothing teasing or triumphant (let alone disgusted) in the blonde girl’s voice; only tender adoration. Rachel blinked at her, and sighed miserably.

“Okay, fine…*sniff!*…you win.”

“No I don’t,” Quinn shook her head, smiling shyly. “I told you, the bet was off. I don’t wanna win, ohhh…*sniff!*…okay? I just want us to take care of each other.”

“Okay,” Rachel murmured, returning the blonde girl’s shy smile, and pressing a tissue into her hand when she saw Quinn’s adorably pink nose starting to drip again.

“Thadk you,” Quinn sniffled softly, blinking rapidly as her eyes welled up and her mouth fell open with a sharp, high breath. Rachel reached out and rubbed lightly between Quinn’s shoulder blades, feeling a shudder run up her spine. “Chhiew! Huhh-chiiew! Ugh,” Quinn sighed, sniffling behind her hands.

“Bless you, sunshine,” Rachel smiled gently, handing her another tissue.

“Tha…thadks…*sniffle*…ahh-tchhiew! *Sniff.*” Quinn sighed heavily behind her hands; Rachel was starting to notice that the blonde girl’s sneezes were almost always followed by a sigh. She found it insanely adorable, somehow.

“Bless you,” Rachel said again, taking another tissue for herself and blowing her nose at the same time Quinn did. The blonde girl giggled wearily and opened her eyes.

“We ared’t goihdg to school toborrow,” she sniffled, curling up against the dark-haired girl under the blankets and wrapping an arm around her waist.

“Nope,” Rachel agreed, closing her eyes wearily. She hoped she could manage to crawl out of bed before they both fell asleep, and tell her dads not to wake them up in the morning.

[honkmaster]

Great story.

[zneeze]

Wow! Nice work!

[Jazz]

I'm not even gonna lie. This is hot. Like...hot.

I'm an avid gleek (13 days!) as you know, with my participation on your other thread. But wow, this was just wonderful. I love the pairing, and I think you got their personalities down perfectly.

...this is hot.

[MyOwnPrivateSFC]

How is it that you write such awesome estories that I just sit and wait for more, even though I'm not fsmiliar with the shows/characters/fandoms/etc.? And especially since you write f/f, since my preferences tend to run both to male sneezing and m/m fic. I think you should get some kind of award for that.

[wannablessedbe]

awww, thanks you guys! I can't take credit for girls being hot, SneezeChick, but I certainly appreciate the sentiment! And Jazz, I am RIGHT THERE with you on that countdown. My friends and I are actually throwing a premiere nite party, and we've all promised to dress up for it...I'm Rachel (not because I act insane!!! just cuz I look a lot like her, but, if I may say, with a cuter nose and several inches more height-- and, to be fair, she's totally in better shape than me). I am looking forward to the outfit, tho

Thanks for all this awesome feedback!!!! you guys made my day.

[tFM!]

Absolutely loving this

[MyOwnPrivateSFC]

awww, thanks you guys! I can't take credit for girls being hot, SneezeChick, but I certainly appreciate the sentiment! And Jazz, I am RIGHT THERE with you on that countdown. My friends and I are actually throwing a premiere nite party, and we've all promised to dress up for it...I'm Rachel (not because I act insane!!! just cuz I look a lot like her, but, if I may say, with a cuter nose and several inches more height-- and, to be fair, she's totally in better shape than me). I am looking forward to the outfit, tho

Thanks for all this awesome feedback!!!! you guys made my day.

Well, no, you didn't make girls in general hot. My brain did that, some time a few years ago. But when my overall preference is guys, and you make me drool over girls I've never even seen...no, yeah, that one I'm going to give you full credit for!

[wannablessedbe]

okay, so I know Jazz is planning to post an update in the other (open) Glee thread today...I am not trying to compete for gleek attention here (obviously, since I started the other thread, too!) and I hope all interested parties will read both. just so happens I have another part to post here too...enjoy

--WBB

NB: SneezeChick-- you do know what these two look like, cause they're in my avatar (not a super-detailed pic of course, but you can still see how unbelievably hot they are together!)

The Stubborn Olympics

Part 3

By WannaBlessedBe

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Around 9pm, Michael went upstairs and knocked on Rachel’s door, carrying a tray with NyQuil, sore throat spray, two bottles of water, and an ear thermometer. There was no answer to his knock, though he could see that the light was on under the door. Quinn’s room, across the hall, was empty.

“Girls? Are you in there?” he called, knocking a little louder, but still getting no response. Please don’t let them be naked, please don’t let them be naked, he prayed silently, twisting the knob with his eyes squinted half-shut, ready to avert his gaze if need be.

He needn’t have bothered—they were both fast asleep with their homework still open on their laps, curled up together unconsciously just like they had been on the couch before dinner. Rachel was noticeably pale, and Quinn’s nose was all pink around the bottom. They both looked sweaty and feverish. Poor kids, Michael thought, sitting lightly on the edge of the bed and setting his tray down on the bedside table. He had to admit, they looked incredibly cute together…it was impossible not to see the love radiating between them, the way Quinn’s hand slipped protectively up the back of Rachel’s shirt, and Rachel’s face pressed securely against Quinn’s neck.

It was true that Michael hadn’t been wild about the idea of his daughter having a relationship with a pregnant teenage girl…he could imagine so many ways it could go wrong, so many kinds of heartbreak for his little girl, none of which he could shield her from. Then again, he knew his parents had felt the same way when he’d first brought Jacob home. And in the end, was there any way of protecting your kids from the risk of heartbreak, in any relationship? And would it be doing her any good even if he could? Life, after all, was meant to be lived, not feared. With a sigh, he picked up his ear thermometer, gently smoothing his daughter’s hair back so he could take her temperature without disturbing her. It beeped after a few seconds, flashing 100.4 on the digital readout. He sighed, kissed the top of her head, and turned his attention to the blonde girl curled up by his daughter’s side. When he touched her hair, she gave a startled gasp and opened her eyes, but only just a crack. She didn’t really look awake.

“Sorry I woke you, honey. I just want to get your temp,” Michael said soothingly, holding up the thermometer so Quinn could see that he wasn’t a monster or a burglar or any other type of nighttime villain.

“’Kay,” Quinn murmured, closing her eyes again as he slipped the end of the thermometer into her ear. It only took a second for the little display to flash 100.1.

“You’ve got a fever, kiddo,” he said quietly, pouring out two small cups of NyQuil from his tray. “Here, can you swallow this?” He handed her one of the little cups of medicine.

“It wod’t hurt the baby?” Quinn murmured, opening her eyes again to blink sleepily at the man treating her with more kindness than her own father had in years.

“No, sweetheart, it won’t hurt the baby. I’m a doctor, remember? I won’t ever give you anything bad. Now drink up.” He made sure Quinn wasn’t going to drop the little cup before he let go, and watched her swallow it with a slightly pained expression.

“Rachel’s sick, too,” she mumbled, sniffling softly.

“I know, honey. I’ve got some medicine for her right here.” Quinn’s eyes focused on the little cup Michael held up, and she blinked a few times, forcing herself awake.

“Rach,” she whispered, slipping a hand into Rachel’s dark hair and rubbing her thumb along the back of the sleeping girl’s neck. “Wake up, baby.” Rachel just whimpered and twitched a little, burrowing deeper against Quinn’s warm body. Quinn scratched her nails lightly over the back of Rachel’s neck to rouse her.

“C’mon sweetheart, I’ve got something to make you feel better,” Michael urged, shaking her shoulder lightly to help wake her.

“Go away,” Rachel grumbled, just like before. Then she shivered, and her eyes blinked slowly open, with a dazed expression. She took a shallow breath through her mouth, and just as quickly, her eyes snapped shut again. “Hehh-CHHIIEW! …*sniffle.*” She shivered and curled up tightly against Quinn’s shoulder when she sneezed, absently cupping one hand to her face to shield her girlfriend as best she could from her germ-spray. “Ohhh…*sniff!*…sorry, baby.”

“It’s okay,” Quinn assured her, still stroking her hair gently. Rachel rubbed her nose, sniffling, until her dad handed her a tissue.

“Thadks, Daddy,” Rachel sighed miserably, turning away from Quinn to blow her nose, much more thoroughly than she’d allowed herself to before. As soon as she was done, she took another shuddering breath, and cupped her hands over the crumpled tissue still pinched under her nose. “Huuhhh…*sniff, sniffle*…HETSHIIEW!” She snapped forward helplessly as the intense sneeze gripped her small body.

“Bless you,” Quinn and Michael both said at the same time.

“Ughhh, I dod’t feel good,” Rachel whined, finally beyond the point where she could tough it out for Quinn’s sake, which was just as well, since Quinn had never wanted her to in the first place.

“Shhh, it’s okay,” Quinn murmured soothingly, picking up the second cup of NyQuil from the bedside table and leaning over her girlfriend’s shivering body, resting her weight on her elbow as she touched the little cup to Rachel’s bottom lip. “Drink up, little starlight.” Rachel opened her mouth and let Quinn tip the medicine down her throat, making the same unhappy face that Quinn had when the bad taste hit her tongue. The blonde girl reached over and grabbed the second water bottle, offering it wordlessly to her sniffling girlfriend.

“Thadks,” Rachel sighed, taking a long drink. “What about you?”

“I already gave her some, honey,” Michael said, noting the nearly-empty box of Kleenex on the bedside table, and making a note to bring them a fresh one before saying goodnight. “You’re both gonna sleep like rocks tonight, and then tomorrow, dad will whip up some of his best chicken soup, okay?”

“Oh…okay,” Rachel sighed, turning back toward Quinn when she felt the blonde girl starting to shiver. “Are you cold, baby?”

“Uh-huh,” Quinn nodded, pulling the blankets up to her shoulders. She grabbed a fresh tissue from the dwindling box, pressing it hastily under her twitchy, runny nose. “Hichiiew! Atchhiew! *sniffle.*” Quinn sighed, swiping the tissue tenderly under her irritated nostrils.

“Bless you,” Rachel yawned sleepily, stroking Quinn’s stomach under the blankets while the blonde girl blew her stuffed up little nose clear again.

“This sucks,” Quinn groaned with a croaky cough, followed immediately by another soft, helpless “Chhiew!” into her hands.

“I doe,” Rachel agreed, closing her eyes with a fresh sniffle.

“You both need a good night’s sleep,” Michael said soothingly, pulling up the covers more securely around them, making sure they were both bundled up snugly. “Dad and I are right down the hall if you need anything, all right girls? Just try to sleep now.”

“Uh-huh,” Rachel mumbled hazily, already back in her preferred position against Quinn’s side, with her face pressed into the blonde girl’s hair. If having Rachel’s sniffles so close to her skin bothered the other girl, she certainly didn’t show it.

“Thadk you,” Quinn murmured, opening her eyes a crack to smile sleepily up at her girlfriend’s dad.

“You don’t have to thank me, honey. That’s what dads are for.” He kissed them both on top of their heads, flicking off the lights as he slipped out of the room. He heard another loud, sniffly “HETCHHIEW!” from Rachel, and a murmured bless you from Quinn as he closed the door behind him. They were definitely going to need a fresh box of tissues before morning.

[zneeze]

Aww This has been great so far!

[Jazz]

I got a bit far behind, but I do plan on posting tonight D: I'm sorry about the...false information (that phrase sounds most appropriate). I'm writing as we speak though, and hope to add to the open thread soon.

But enough about me, and more about this chapter. (:

Mmm, feverish girls. I find that very yummy for some reason. Plus, I love this coupling (as you know.)

I also love the fact that (as they are written and emphasized, at least) Rachel has louder sneezes than Quinn. I just think it seems appropriate. She's dramatic in all senses of the word, so it makes sense that hers would be louder. And Quinn's are cute. I like the whole concept and I think this story's just adorable.

[Miss.A.Tishoo]

I just wanted to take the time to say how much I've enjoyed this thread - I've been on holiday so I'm a little late to the party, but it's fantastic. Would love to read more. Rachel/Quinn is so meant to be

[NoV]

Although I am one of the few people left in the world who has not yet seen any Glee, I am enjoying this story a lot! Keep up the good work.

[lalaland~]

I love this. So much. <3

[tFM!]

Gah! This is amazing I can't wait for more.

[wannablessedbe]

Hey everybody! Thanks for all the fabulous feedback, it definitely encourages me to update more. And I'm sure that we gleeks are all in a high state of frenzy right now (3 days to go!!!!), so I thought I'd throw in a little somethin'-somethin' to help that time fly by

ps-- Jazz-- I'm glad you noticed and appreciated that Rachel has louder sneezes than Quinn! Dramatics and personalities aside, Rachel's gotta have the biggest lung capacity in Ohio, right??

The Stubborn Olympics

Part 4

By WannaBlessedBe

………………………………………………………………………………………………

It was still dark when Quinn woke up, her stomach growling furiously. She groaned and pulled herself out of Rachel’s warm arms, gently so as not to wake her sleeping girlfriend, and crawled to the edge of the bed. Her head still felt heavy and stuffed up, and her throat hurt, and as soon as she slipped out from under the covers, she was shivering with fever chills. All in all, she really didn’t feel like getting up. But…she was starving. She was pregnant-girl-at-3-am-starving. And she knew she wouldn’t be able to fall back to sleep until she ate something. Sighing, she threw the covers back and stood up, rubbing her nose when it started to run ticklishly.

“Huhhh… Hihh-tchxx!” Quinn pinched her nose hard between her fingers, stifling her sneeze as best she could so as not to wake Rachel. It plugged up her ears and made her feel dizzy, and she really didn’t want to do it again. Hastily, she stumbled out into the hall, stopping in her own room to pull on a sweatshirt over her pajamas, and headed for the stairs. Another strong, teasing tickle blossomed in the back of her nose, forcing a sharp breath into her lungs.

“Ahhchiiew! *sniffle.*” She shuddered and gripped the banister with her free hand to keep from falling down the stairs when her shoulders jerked, her other hand clamped firmly to her mouth. She wiped her nose roughly on the cuff of her sweatshirt, too tired to care about getting snot on her clothes.

She trailed downstairs sleepily, managing to make herself some scrambled eggs and tea without really opening her eyes all the way. She hadn’t thought to bring any tissues downstairs with her, so she just kept wiping her tender nose on the rough, increasingly damp cuff of her sweatshirt, and turning her face into her elbow whenever she sneezed. It wasn’t ideal, but Quinn was just too sleepy to care.

When her food was ready, she took it into the living room and curled up on the couch, watching cartoons with the volume turned down low. After a few minutes of watching Spongebob annoy Squidward, she distinctly heard a loud Huhh-TCHHEW! echoing down the stairwell, and looked up to see a very sleepy and very cranky Rachel pouting at her.

“What are you doihg out of bed?” The dark-haired girl whined, flopping down on the couch next to Quinn and immediately snuggling up to her side.

“Here sweetie, I think you need to blow your nose,” Quinn said gently, passing Rachel the tissues from the coffee table.

“Thadk you,” Rachel grumbled, grudgingly accepting the Kleenex and blowing her cold-filled nose thoroughly, too sick and exhausted to be embarrassed anymore about how loud it was.

“Poor baby, you sound awful. I’m sorry if I woke you—I just needed a snack. Or, at least, the baby did.”

“You didn’t wake me,” Rachel sniffled, curling up against Quinn’s shoulder so the blonde girl could feel her shivering. “I just had a bad dream, and…*sniff!*…ahd thed I woke up, ahd…*sniffle*…you wered’t…huhh…you wered’t there…*sniffle*...” Quinn felt the sudden shudder run up Rachel’s back just as the smaller girl yanked another tissue from the box, holding it frozen a few inches in front of her face as her breath caught in her chest. “Ehh-TCHIIEW! *sniffle.*” Rachel’s whole upper body snapped forward with the force of her sneeze, which was alarmingly loud and intense, even for her.

“God bless you!” Quinn exclaimed, slipping out a hand to rub her girlfriend’s shivering back. “Poor little thing, you shouldn’t be up.”

“It’s okay,” Rachel mumbled through her tissues, pausing to blow her nose again. “I’m j-just a…a little…*sniffle*…huhh-ISHHIEW! …*sniff!*”

“Bless you, baby. Are you okay?” Quinn asked, frowning worriedly as she continued to rub Rachel’s trembling back.

“Yuh-huh,” Rachel nodded woozily, taking another tissue and just clamping it to her streaming nose with a soft sigh. “Sobetibes this happeds whed I g-get ch-chilly…it bakes by dose rud, ahd thed I cad’t s-stop…*sniffle*…” Quinn was prepared this time, and didn’t jump in alarm when Rachel snapped forward with another shuddering “AHHTCHIEW!”

“Bless you,” The blonde girl murmured, unable to stop the huge yawn that followed. She pulled the folded quilt from the end of the couch and threw it over both of them, pulling her shivering girlfriend down against her and rubbing her arms to warm her. “Is that better?”

“Yeah…*sniff!*…thadk you,” Rachel sniffled, taking another tissue and blowing her nose again, desperate to rid herself of the maddening tickle that wouldn’t let her rest. “Ughh, I wish it would ju-just go a-a-away…*sniffle*…” She took another sharp breath, but froze with her hands cupped to her face. “Ohhh…fuck…” She stayed frozen for a few moments, then sighed and leaned back against Quinn’s side, rubbing her nose absently.

“Hichhiew! Hehh-tshiiew!” Without any warning at all, Quinn sneezed wetly into her lap, so caught off guard that she didn’t even have a chance to raise a hand to her face. She felt the light mist landing on her legs, and with a flush of embarrassment, knew that Rachel must have felt it, too.

“Bless you!” Rachel giggled, apparently unperturbed by Quinn’s cooties landing on her.

“Ughh…sorry I sneezed on you,” Quinn groaned, snatching a tissue to blow her running nose. “I…*sniffle*…I dod’t doe where that cabe frobe…*sniff, sniffle* …Chiiew!” Though her soft sneezes were nowhere near as loud as Rachel’s, her sharp breaths and shivers were just as intense, and the pregnant girl was rapidly getting worn out. She sighed wearily and leaned into Rachel’s shoulder.

“I think it came from your poor little pink nose, baby,” Rachel cooed, snuggling up closer to Quinn under the blanket and kissing her temple. “Should we maybe go back to bed now? Are you all done with your snack?”

“Uh-huh,” Quinn nodded, yawning and blinking absently.

“Okay, c’mon,” Rachel sighed, reluctantly getting to her feet. Quinn whimpered when Rachel’s warm body left her side, then slowly got up to follow her. They both blessed each other several more times on their way back upstairs.

[Bluebird]

I'm not one for F/F fics, but I have to say, this is quite nice~! I love it, WBB! (As I love all your works).

Funny thing is, I just finished watching the Pilot and I'm now watching Hairspray with my sisters XD

[honkmaster]

Great job please continue.

[Miss.A.Tishoo]

Yay! I was hoping you'd update - I love all your stories, you always write each character so well.

Sooo jealous of all of you getting new Glee in 3 days, we're only just finishing up the first season here .

[wannablessedbe]

Yay! I was hoping you'd update - I love all your stories, you always write each character so well.

Sooo jealous of all of you getting new Glee in 3 days, we're only just finishing up the first season here .

honey, don't you have hulu over there in the UK? http://www.hulu.com. you can watch anything there. they'll have the next new ep of glee up the day after it airs! (and thanks for the happy feedback!)