I'm wayyyyy later than I planned with this. I'm sorry. AS exams came and then I had extreme writers block and could only think of another fic that I'm planning/writing now. I still have writers block tbh which is why this is so bad but I needed to get it to you. I know it's just excuses but I'm really sorry this is so late.

Half past nine had been set as Quinn and Rachel's meeting time. An hour after deciding to do something with one another that evening, Quinn realised that she'd forgotten to decide a time to knock on Rachel's door. So, rather sheepishly, the blonde had returned to her neighbour's door and set a time. Now, Quinn was trying to kill time in her room. It was nine o'clock and she was ready. Normally the blonde would be able to easily waste away half an hour but for some reason she was really restless. She'd tried sitting down with a book but that was no use. It was one of those times when you had to read the paragraph over and over because you zone out partway through. So that idea was abandoned. Then she tried just sitting and watching youtube videos on her laptop. That didn't work either. And so, for the remaining ten minutes, Quinn sat on her bed with her music playing through headphones in an attempt to block everything out.

Two songs later and it was time to collect her not-date. Quinn left her room, making sure that she definitely had her door fob with her. As fun as that morning had been, she really didn't want a repeat of the happenings.

When she reached Rachel's door, she lifted her hand to knock on the door but hesitated just before actually knocking. She took a deep breath. Then she rapped her knuckles thrice in quick concession on the door. In less than a few seconds later, the door had been opened and Rachel was stood in the doorway looking curiously at Quinn's fist which was still raised from where she'd been knocking on the door.

It dropped to her side.

Rachel. Looked. Flawless. She was wearing a black body con dress that showed a bit of skin with a triangle on the chest and gaps on the sides and front of her ribs. "Wow. You look-" Quinn's mouth hung open, in search of an adjective that Rachel's appearance deserved.

"Thank you." Rachel stepped in shyly to save the blonde from having to come up with a word. "You look…" She left a gap just as Quinn had. "Too." Rachel smiled back up to her neighbour.

After Quinn had thanked her, Rachel asked where they were going. "Well uhh…" Quinn stumbled over her words. She was hit with nerves as she wondered if Rachel would actually enjoy their night out. "I'm not normally one to enjoy singing in public but I thought it would be fitting for us, judging by our previous interactions. There's a karaoke bar just down the street. Would that be okay with you?" She asked. Rachel's jaw had dropped and the blonde couldn't work out if her neighbour was actually breathing or not. Quinn hoped that it was a good thing. It was probably best to make sure, though. "Hey, are you okay?"

"I'm fine." Rachel grinned. "Great, actually. I love karaoke. A lot."

"After you, then." Quinn smiled at Rachel, relieved that her plan for the night had been accepted with (more than) open arms, and gestured with her hands that Rachel lead them out of the building.

When they reached the place, Quinn led the way in. There were several seats free to the right of the entrance, by the bar, and so Quinn suggested that they sat themselves there. Rachel agreed, also allowing the blonde to buy her a drink.

After a couple of drinks, Quinn noticed that Rachel seemed a little bit distracted from their conversation. Rachel's leg was bouncing, shaking the table, and her eyes kept darting between Quinn and the stage. "Are you okay?" She asked gently.

"Hmm?" Rachel looked at Quinn, an empty look on her face. She obviously had no idea what Quinn had said. Quinn wondered how much Rachel had heard of what she had been saying earlier.

"Are you okay?"

"Oh yeah, I'm fine." Rachel answered.

Quinn frowned at her slightly and flicked her eyes towards the stage and back.

"Oh. That." The brunette ducked her head slightly in embarrassment. "I tend to get a bit ansty when others are on stage. My dads always said it was because I need to be in the spotlight constantly. They said that it rid the energy I would use up to push them off the stage and take their place for myself."

Quinn smiled. That was pretty cute. And it took away the fear of her being boring company. Then her eyebrows furrowed. Wait. Dads? As in plural?

Rachel saw the question coming from a mile away. Her parents were always a topic of conversation at some point. By now, she'd perfected a short explanation which rarely caused confusion. It was also nice to get it out of the way quickly. "Yes, I have two dads. I don't know which is biologically my father. They used a surroga-"

"You don't need to explain it." Quinn cut in. "Unless you want to." She shyly corrected herself, anxious that she might have offended Rachel. "I assume you've had to tell the situation far too many times to count. I just wasn't sure if I'd heard you correctly."

"Ah." Rachel was surprised. "Well then, thank you."

"It's not a problem." Quinn dismissed. "Now, do you want to go up to take the spotlight? And if it's okay, may I share it with you?" She teased.

Rachel lightly slapped her arm. "Of course you can." And with that, Rachel took Quinn by the hand and dragged her to the songbook. It took them a while but they eventually managed to pick a song that they both wanted to sing.

Despite it being reasonably late in the evening, there were only two people scheduled before Quinn and Rachel. Quinn put it down to people not having enough to drink yet. Thankfully, the man before them was terrible. Now they'd seem a lot better. To be fair, it was virtually impossible to sing Kate Bush's Wuthering Heights without popping at least one person's eardrums. So perhaps the quality could have been down to the song choice. Perhaps.

Quinn followed Rachel up to the stage with somewhat less bounce than the brunette in front of her. The blonde swallowed nervously as the first few notes of 4 Non Blondes What's Up began to play. Rachel sang softly, every now and then giving Quinn encouraging glances.

Twenty five years and my life is still

Trying to get up that great big hill of hope

For a destination

This time, when Rachel looked to Quinn, she was no longer staring shyly at the floor. Instead, her head was a little higher, she was swaying slightly, and where her right hand fell at her side, she tapped against her thigh along with the music. If she gave it a few more moments, Quinn would be able to sing. For now, though, Rachel kept singing on her own. Her powerful voice had coaxed everyone in to listen. No-one could ignore the two girls on stage. At first just for their appearance, but now for the tiny girl's voice as well.

I realised quickly when I knew I should

That the world was made up of this brotherhood of men

For a destination

The pair of them made eye contact and Quinn nodded. She was ready to sing.

And so I cry sometimes when I'm lying in bed

Just to get it all out; what's in my head

And I

I am feeling a little peculiar

Her voice was was smooth with a slight rasp that felt warm, making everyone in the bar forget her nervousness as she melted their hearts.

And so I wake in the morning and I step outside

And I take a deep breath and I get real high

And I scream from the top of my lungs

What's going on?

As she sung, Quinn got more confident and the power in her voice increased.

Rachel smiled at her, happy that Quinn had got into her groove. She had a talent. Her voice may not have been perfect but that was understandable. She'd had no training. But it was still enough to make people swoon. She joined Quinn for the chorus. Her voice was a polar opposite to Quinn's but they sounded beautiful together. Especially with Rachel making pitch perfect harmonies.

I say hey, hey, hey, hey

I said hey

What's going on?

I say hey, hey, hey, hey

I said hey

What's going on?

The pair grinned as they sang their way through the 'ooh's.

Quinn took the next verse.

And I try

Oh my god do I try

I try all the time

In this institution

She took a deep breath to really try and belt the next few lines

And I pray

Oh my god do I pray

I pray every single day

For a revolution

Cheering from the audience carried a little into Rachel's part.

And so I cry sometimes when I'm lying in bed

Just to get it all out; what's in my head

And I

I am feeling a little peculiar

And so I wake in the morning and I step outside

And I take a deep breath and I get real high

And I scream from the top of my lungs

What's going on?

Quinn joined Rachel once again so that they could finish the song together, belting the chorus out.

And I say hey, hey, hey, hey

I said hey

What's going on?

Through the last 'ooh's they held eye-contact with shy smiles; both breathing heavier than normal. They finished the song softly, stepping closer for a bit of physical contact.

Twenty five years and my life is still

Trying to get up that great big hill of hope

For a destination

At their applause, Rachel grabbed Quinn's hand, forcing her to take a bow. Then she dragged her offstage, grinning. "That was amazing!" The brunette jumped towards Quinn, giving her a bone crushing hug. "Thank you!"

"It was my pleasure." And to Quinn's surprise, it was true. She'd actually liked karaoke. Something told her that her enjoyment was something to do with her neighbour, turned friend. Also the hug helped. It was oddly comfortable. Quinn hadn't felt the overwhelming urge to throw her off that she normally felt when people hugged her. It just felt right. When Rachel pulled away, she missed the contact immediately.

They began their walk back to their seats, making a quick detour for Rachel to buy them both a drink.

"You looked like you were having fun up there." Quinn said as they sat down.

Rachel blushed, thankful that the low lighting hid the pink tinge in her cheeks. "Yeah, I get a bit excited. It has the same effect on me that I'm sure some drugs would."

"It's cute." The blonde commented. "I'm not sure I'd do a song on my own, but you could give it a go. Everyone loved you and I'd quite like to see you perform from this side of the stage."

As she gave the suggestion some thought, Rachel fiddled with the hem of her dress. "While I'd normally be up for that, I'm a little tired this evening."

"Do you want to go back then?" Quinn asked, trying to keep the disappointment out of her voice.

The brunette nodded but thanked Quinn for their evening. "I really enjoyed tonight, though. Maybe we could do it again some time?"

"Sure." Quinn smiled gently.

They walked back in a comfortable silence. Somewhere along the way, Rachel had reached out to hold Quinn's hand. Quinn certainly wasn't complaining. She was actually pretty happy that they weren't holding a conversation. If they were, Quinn was pretty sure that she wouldn't be able to make any sense; being that close to Rachel.

Outside of their rooms, neither really wanted to say goodbye.

"So, are you free next Friday?" Rachel asked.

"I think I am. I'll have to check my diary but I'm pretty sure I am."

"Cool." Rachel quickly answered. Then she stepped forward, and swiftly moved to kiss Quinn.

It was just a small peck on the lips but Quinn's jaw moved up and down a little until she found something to say. "I didn't take you to be the kind to kiss on the first date."

"Oh, I don't." Rachel grinned. "But this isn't the first date. Friday will be, hopefully."

"I'd like that." Quinn looked shyly at her feet.

"I'll see you around then?"

"I'll see you around." The blonde turned, smiling, and stumbled back into her room. She made sure the door was closed before she did a little happy dance which involved grinning broadly and clapping and jumping in quick succession.

thank you for reading, friends :) I hope it wasn't too bad :/