storypaint (![[personal profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/user.png)
storypaint) wrote2013-03-16 03:19 pm
storypaint) wrote2013-03-16 03:19 pm
Entry tags:
[Glee] chafing my heart (Quinn/Mercedes)
Title: chafing my heart
Fandom: Glee
Length: 860 words
Prompt: Given the first line of a story, I will write something: "Quinn hesitated before accepting the Skype request," for![[tumblr.com profile]](https://www.tumblr.com/favicon.ico)
merkintosh
Pairing: Quinn/Mercedes
Other: The canonicity of anything in this is debatable, as I haven't watched Glee since partway through S3. I did hear about Quinntana, though, and this set post that episode.
Excerpt: Quinn hesitated before accepting the Skype request. When Mercedes's face popped up on her laptop screen, Quinn tried an awkward smile. Mercedes was giving her one in return.
Quinn hesitated before accepting the Skype request. When Mercedes's face popped up on her laptop screen, Quinn tried an awkward smile. Mercedes was giving her one in return.
It felt like ages since they had really spoken. There was the occasional email, IM, or Facebook wall post, but both had been too involved in their new lives to spare a lot of time for people from the past. At least, that was Quinn's excuse, although she was still speaking to Kurt and Santana and Rachel with a horrifying regularity. It was really only Mercedes whom she had let fall by the wayside, a fact that pricked her harder than she wanted it to. She might have turned the request down, in fact, just a couple of weeks ago, before Mr. Schue's failed wedding and her behavior that night. She'd been drunk on alcohol and possibility, and the world had opened up before her again. She went home, broke up with her professor, and emailed Mercedes.
And now Mercedes was here. Or as close as they could get at the moment; she couldn't exactly buy plane tickets twice in a month.
"Hey," Mercedes said, almost shy. "How's it going, girl?"
Quinn wasn't sure how to start. She shifted in her computer chair, glad that her roommate was out, but still uncertain. She was pretty sure you should share some pleasantries before coming out to someone.
"Hi, Mercedes," she answered. "Sorry it's been so long. I've been busy."
Mercedes grinned. "I know you have. You don't get to Yale and sit around with your hands in your pockets! I'm working two jobs right now and I bet I have more free time than you, Miss Big Time Lawyer in Training."
Quinn smiled back, her nerves disappearing. Talking to Mercedes was the easiest thing in the world, and she couldn't think why she'd put it off for so long. Possibly because it was so easy. She never knew how to hang onto the things that were really important to her, it seemed like.
"I'm only doing gen-ed right now," she said, self-disparaging. "I've just been... doing a lot of thinking."
Mercedes was quiet in response, waiting. Quinn opened her mouth to say it and found herself continuing in a different direction entirely.
"How's L.A.?" she asked, nervously drumming her fingers below webcam level.
Mercedes gave her a bit of a look, but answered, "Warm, and full of rude people. Still shopping around my demo and singing with Puck's band. Waitressing nights, phone center days. It's good." She nodded to herself. "Really good. I'm getting my name into the right circles."
Mercedes had a glow to her that couldn't all be L.A. sun. Quinn loved seeing it. Mercedes really shone when she got her chance to stand out.
"You'll be recording your second record before I even get out of school," she said.
"Here's hoping," Mercedes said. "The sooner I can quit trying to sell insulation, the better. You won't believe what people say to me. It's better when they just hang up." She rolled her eyes.
"I bet," Quinn said, and she took a breath and finally said, "So, I'm gay."
Quinn's heart was in her throat. Mercedes lifted an eyebrow and was quiet for a moment but then she broke into a broad smile. "'Bout time you admitted it to yourself. I'm proud of you, Quinn."
Quinn wished they weren't across the country from each other right now. If she shut her eyes, she could feel Mercedes's congratulatory hug, smell her sweet scent. She missed that hug.
"I'm sorry, Mercedes," Quinn continued before she could lose her nerve. "If I'd just -- high school was so screwed up. I feel like I missed an opportunity." She looked down, knowing that she was blushing and unable to stop it.
But when she looked back up, Mercedes was still there, still smiling. "You're not even 21 years old, Quinn. You have plenty of time for opportunities." She went on, her tone casual even as her gaze was firm, "I'm coming home for my Mom's birthday in June. Are you going to be in Lima over the summer?"
Quinn nodded.
"Then we have a date," Mercedes said, pointing at her through the screen. "We'll hang out, talk about girls, complain about our terrible jobs. See where it goes from there."
"You bet," Quinn said, clutching at her cross, which was tucked under her shirt. It was warm and comforting. She'd been doing some research since she came back from Lima, and there was a church a few blocks away that she was going to start going to. They had a rainbow flag on their sign.
They talked for some time, gossiping about their former classmates and sharing stories about their new lives, until Quinn's roommate would be due back from class and Mercedes had to get to band practice.
"I'll Skype you next week," Quinn promised. "Same time."
Mercedes blew her a kiss. "See you then."
Daringly, Quinn returned the gesture. When she closed the Skype window, she opened a flight website and started looking for plane tickets for June.
She couldn't wait.
Fandom: Glee
Length: 860 words
Prompt: Given the first line of a story, I will write something: "Quinn hesitated before accepting the Skype request," for
Pairing: Quinn/Mercedes
Other: The canonicity of anything in this is debatable, as I haven't watched Glee since partway through S3. I did hear about Quinntana, though, and this set post that episode.
Excerpt: Quinn hesitated before accepting the Skype request. When Mercedes's face popped up on her laptop screen, Quinn tried an awkward smile. Mercedes was giving her one in return.
Quinn hesitated before accepting the Skype request. When Mercedes's face popped up on her laptop screen, Quinn tried an awkward smile. Mercedes was giving her one in return.
It felt like ages since they had really spoken. There was the occasional email, IM, or Facebook wall post, but both had been too involved in their new lives to spare a lot of time for people from the past. At least, that was Quinn's excuse, although she was still speaking to Kurt and Santana and Rachel with a horrifying regularity. It was really only Mercedes whom she had let fall by the wayside, a fact that pricked her harder than she wanted it to. She might have turned the request down, in fact, just a couple of weeks ago, before Mr. Schue's failed wedding and her behavior that night. She'd been drunk on alcohol and possibility, and the world had opened up before her again. She went home, broke up with her professor, and emailed Mercedes.
And now Mercedes was here. Or as close as they could get at the moment; she couldn't exactly buy plane tickets twice in a month.
"Hey," Mercedes said, almost shy. "How's it going, girl?"
Quinn wasn't sure how to start. She shifted in her computer chair, glad that her roommate was out, but still uncertain. She was pretty sure you should share some pleasantries before coming out to someone.
"Hi, Mercedes," she answered. "Sorry it's been so long. I've been busy."
Mercedes grinned. "I know you have. You don't get to Yale and sit around with your hands in your pockets! I'm working two jobs right now and I bet I have more free time than you, Miss Big Time Lawyer in Training."
Quinn smiled back, her nerves disappearing. Talking to Mercedes was the easiest thing in the world, and she couldn't think why she'd put it off for so long. Possibly because it was so easy. She never knew how to hang onto the things that were really important to her, it seemed like.
"I'm only doing gen-ed right now," she said, self-disparaging. "I've just been... doing a lot of thinking."
Mercedes was quiet in response, waiting. Quinn opened her mouth to say it and found herself continuing in a different direction entirely.
"How's L.A.?" she asked, nervously drumming her fingers below webcam level.
Mercedes gave her a bit of a look, but answered, "Warm, and full of rude people. Still shopping around my demo and singing with Puck's band. Waitressing nights, phone center days. It's good." She nodded to herself. "Really good. I'm getting my name into the right circles."
Mercedes had a glow to her that couldn't all be L.A. sun. Quinn loved seeing it. Mercedes really shone when she got her chance to stand out.
"You'll be recording your second record before I even get out of school," she said.
"Here's hoping," Mercedes said. "The sooner I can quit trying to sell insulation, the better. You won't believe what people say to me. It's better when they just hang up." She rolled her eyes.
"I bet," Quinn said, and she took a breath and finally said, "So, I'm gay."
Quinn's heart was in her throat. Mercedes lifted an eyebrow and was quiet for a moment but then she broke into a broad smile. "'Bout time you admitted it to yourself. I'm proud of you, Quinn."
Quinn wished they weren't across the country from each other right now. If she shut her eyes, she could feel Mercedes's congratulatory hug, smell her sweet scent. She missed that hug.
"I'm sorry, Mercedes," Quinn continued before she could lose her nerve. "If I'd just -- high school was so screwed up. I feel like I missed an opportunity." She looked down, knowing that she was blushing and unable to stop it.
But when she looked back up, Mercedes was still there, still smiling. "You're not even 21 years old, Quinn. You have plenty of time for opportunities." She went on, her tone casual even as her gaze was firm, "I'm coming home for my Mom's birthday in June. Are you going to be in Lima over the summer?"
Quinn nodded.
"Then we have a date," Mercedes said, pointing at her through the screen. "We'll hang out, talk about girls, complain about our terrible jobs. See where it goes from there."
"You bet," Quinn said, clutching at her cross, which was tucked under her shirt. It was warm and comforting. She'd been doing some research since she came back from Lima, and there was a church a few blocks away that she was going to start going to. They had a rainbow flag on their sign.
They talked for some time, gossiping about their former classmates and sharing stories about their new lives, until Quinn's roommate would be due back from class and Mercedes had to get to band practice.
"I'll Skype you next week," Quinn promised. "Same time."
Mercedes blew her a kiss. "See you then."
Daringly, Quinn returned the gesture. When she closed the Skype window, she opened a flight website and started looking for plane tickets for June.
She couldn't wait.