Prompt: "could you write a fic about finn finding rae's backpack instead of chloe?"

"I'm just gonna go."

Finn couldn't help but feel a little bit of satisfaction as he watched Rae shoot up out of her seat and practically sprint out of the diner. After his make-out session with Chloe the night before, he'd driven home on his scooter alone, his previous urge to go mental and dance until he passed out gone completely. He'd planned it all out in his head in the days approaching the rave, finally allowing himself to dream a bit after weeks of trying to keep his relentless thoughts about Rae under control:

He and Rae would ride to the rave on his scooter, would dance like it was their last night on earth, would maybe find a quiet place to talk when they got tired before going back to the floor after regrouping…

…and as the night progressed, their proximity to one another would dramatically decrease until Rae would look deep into Finn's eyes, smiling coyly as he wrapped his arms around her, the expression on her face melting into a look of pure bliss before their noses touched, their lips moving closer together…

"Are you going to eat anything?"

Finn turned to Chloe who was still gazing at him with the same wide-eyed hopefulness she had been all morning. He fidgeted awkwardly.

"Nah, I'm gonna go too I think. You go ahead though."

He slid the plate nearest to him over to Chloe before standing up, hoping to get away before she said anything else. No such luck.

"Finn…are you going to Rae's Mum's wedding reception tonight?"

Finn forgot all about that. Shit. He really needed some time away from Rae, time to get his head together and try and get over her as best he could. He didn't fancy finding out if her and Archie were back on, visions of them dancing and snogging in the middle of The Swan flashing through his mind and making him feel that painful sickness he was so familiar with. Before he could tell her no, she jumped in.

"…because if you are, do you fancy, maybe…going together?"

She was so confident, Finn thought. He'd always liked that about Chloe, how she would relentlessly pursue what she wanted once she set her mind on it. Too bad she was barking up the wrong tree in this case. Then again…

"Alright, cool."

Chloe smiled sweetly, and Finn gave her a small smile in return. "I'll come by yours at around 6, yeah?"

"Sounds great!" Chloe looked down at the full english in front of her before her eyes moved up slightly to the seat opposite.

"Oh, Rae's left her bag behind."

Finn had already begun to feel guilty about saying yes to Chloe's proposition, his head still in a complete mess. He just had to get out of there, that's all he knew.

"I'll drop it off to 'er." Finn said, lifting Rae's bag from the seat, noticing it was open. Zipping it up, he slung it over his back and walked forward, kicking something across the floor as he did so. It was a scrunched up piece of paper. As he moved towards the door he stooped to pick it up, holding it in his hand as he left, figuring that it fell out of Rae's bag.

What was he thinking? Didn't he just decide that he didn't want to see Rae for a while? Yet there he was, walking in the direction of her house, the feeling of dread increasing with every step. There was a part of him that longed to speak to her, despite everything. He'd arranged the debrief to find out what happened between Rae and Archie after they'd kissed, to find out if it was just a friendly fumble or if it meant something more. Archie had kissed her cheek as he left the diner, but they always did that. That didn't mean anything, right?

But what if they'd had…? No, the thought was too much for Finn to bear, his throat suddenly becoming dry. He clenched his fist, only just remembering the piece of paper in his hand. He saw a bin nearby, walking towards it to chuck it in. Glancing down at his fist, he stopped himself when he saw a blob of hot pink underneath one of the folds. He stood on the kerb, unfurling the crumpled paper in his hands.

His heart skipped a beat when he saw his own face, a picture of him cut out and stuck in the middle. His figure was surrounded by different coloured hearts, brightly coloured stickers and glitter. He recognised Rae's handwriting, remembering the piece of paper with her home phone number on it stuck on the cork-board in his room. His heart began to pound hard as he read what she'd written around his body.

'Sweetest adonis in all of Lincolnshire' 'Gushington central' 'Sexier than Liam Gallagher' 'Chloe doesn't deserve him!' 'Better than porn' 'I kissed him…technically!' 'Out of my league' 'Ultimate slice'

Finn felt his face burn hotter and hotter as he read, a feeling of pure elation sweeping over him. It wasn't until he read the biggest phrase, written in thick bubble writing and coloured in deep red that he felt like he was going to explode with happiness:

'I LOVE HIM!'

He re-read it over and over again, feeling himself grinning like a total idiot. She did like him! She bloody loved him! He had proof! He couldn't believe it! She didn't want Archie…she wanted him. Rae loved him. Rachel Earl loved Finn Nelson.

He was suddenly snapped out of his reverie by the sound of somebody running towards him. When he looked up, he was greeted by a breathless Rae screeching to a halt, looking at him with utter horror.

"Oh my God! No!" She suddenly turned on her heel, running away from Finn as fast as she possibly could.

"Rae!" Finn shouted, setting off after her. He folded up the paper as he ran, putting it in his pocket so he could use his arms to pick up the pace. He kept calling her name as he chased her, pleading with her to stop and talk to him. Rae ignored him, turning a corner and running into the underpass, running faster than she ever had done before. Finn managed to catch up to her just before she hit the end of her street. He grabbed the back of her shirt, wrapping his arms around her shoulders to slow her. She tried to struggle free, but Finn held on as tight as he could, his forehead pressing against her temple. They stood on her street corner, both panting hard, Rae hunching over slightly and leaning on her knees. As she did so, Finn shifted so his cheek rested on her back, still holding on. After he caught his breath, he released her, slowly moving in front of her. She stood upright, tears springing down her cheeks. She couldn't look Finn in the eye, instead keeping her eyes locked on the pavement. She looked defeated.

"Finn…you must be so disgusted. I didn't mean for you to see any of that." She sniffed, clenching her fists in front of her. "Now you know how mental I am…that I'm n-not normal at all." The last few words came out in a near whisper.

Finn couldn't believe what he was seeing, what he was hearing. For the first time in weeks, he realised he was thinking in perfect clarity.

Dropping her bag from his back, he slowly brought his hands to her face, wiping away her tears with his thumbs before moving his hands down to hold her shoulders. As he did so, Rae looked up at him, her eyes widening and crossing slightly due to how close he was to her. He spoke slowly, his voice deep and gravelly due to all his previous yelling.

"You're not mental, Rae…you're brilliant."

A small smile appeared on Rae's face, and Finn beamed back at her. He moved back reluctantly, taking her hand in his. He unclenched her fingers, listening to Rae's breath hitch as he wrote on her palm.

'I…love…you…too.'

He looked up at her, still beaming, and Rae's smile grew significantly bigger. She let out an embarrassed chuckle, which Finn mirrored, before tentatively lifting her hand to place a kiss her palm. He linked his fingers with hers, stooping to pick up her bag. Slinging it over his shoulder again, he walked Rae back to her house, relishing her ecstatic grin with every step.