The choir room was filled with chatter and laughter while the New Directions waited for that afternoon's meeting to start. Bailey was the first of their coaches to arrive, and Naomi ran up to her with a heart shaped card.
"Hi, Miss Bailey!" the sophomore chirped. "This is for you from me, Sugar, and Juniper," she said, handing her the card. "We were gonna make Mr. Schue one, but we don't like him."
"Thank you, sweetie," Bailey smiled, chuckling a little and accepting a hug from the petite brunette.
"Okay, everybody," Mr. Schue said, clapping his hands to get everyone's attention as he walked into the choir room. "Let's hear it for love. Your assignment for Valentine's week is to find and perform the world's greatest love songs. Now, regionals is next week, and we still need to raise $250 for costumes and hair spray."
"Oh, God, not another bake sale," Kurt begged.
"We've decided that we're going to use Valentine grams as a way to make the money," Bailey said. "If a student pays 10 dollars, then we'll sing a love song of their choice to their valentine."
"We will serenade each classroom–"
"We never said anything about singing to a classroom–"
"No!" the club shouted.
"Yes!" Rachel beamed.
"Last year, we went room-to-room Christmas caroling, and I got a shoe thrown at me," Naomi scoffed. "This is social suicide!"
"Don't worry, angel, I've got this one," Sugar whispered to her girlfriend before raising her hand. She took off her heart-shaped sunglasses when Bailey called on her. "Here's a spoonful of Sugar for you all. Don't sweat the small stuff. And it's all small stuff when you're rich."
"It is?" Ava frowned, exchanging a look with Maya as Sugar went up to their directors.
"No," the older twin said with a stern look. "Mom raised us to be humble."
"So, here you go," Sugar said, holding a wad of cash out towards Mr. Schue.
"She just carries hundreds of dollars with her?" Juniper frowned, her brows pulling together. "She should be careful. Someone could try and rob her."
"Juniper Willow, don't you dare," Quinn whispered harshly, elbowing her girlfriend, who raised her hands in mock surrender.
"I wouldn't...theoretically...but someone else might."
"Uh, Sugar, we can't take that," Mr. Schue shook his head.
"Take it!" Naomi yelled.
"My baby's face is too cute to be assaulted with shoes," Sugar stated, shaking the dollar bills in front of Mr. Schue.
"Okay," he sighed and took the money. "Everyone, give it up for Sugar for paying for our FinalNet and cumberbunds!"
"I love the sound of applause," Sugar breathed, smiling as everyone clapped for her. "Even if I have to buy them."
"My face is saved," Naomi sighed in relief. Autumn chuckled and patted her back.
"The fuck is a cumberbund?" Ava asked, her brows pulling together in confusion.
"It has 'cum' in it...Does that mean it's a sex thing?" Juniper asked.
"Juniper," Quinn warned, raising a brow.
"What's cum?" Maya asked.
"Nothing," Autumn quickly said as Quinn clapped a hand over Juniper's mouth. Autumn sent the Latina a stern look with a raised brow.
"She's gonna find out sooner or later," Juniper mumbled when Quinn took her hand off her mouth.
"Okay, everyone, look under your chairs," Sugar said. "Except you, Artie. Your chair kept moving, so I hid your surprise in the wastebasket."
It's what you deserve right after trying to hit on Naomi.
Autumn took the box of chocolate out from underneath her chair. "Oh, my God, Sugar, you did not!" she gasped when she saw that it was an all-coconut box.
"Naomi said those were your favorite," Sugar smiled. "V-Day is my fave day ever, and to help me celebrate, my daddy's throwing me a huge ridic party at Breadstix. And I'm naming it the Sugar Shack, and...drumroll, Rachel..." The diva played a drumroll on the drumset. "...you're all invited! But you have to bring a date. No single people allowed. They're sad...and boring...and they don't exist in my world."
"But Mom said we're not allowed to date until we're sixteen," Maya pouted.
"Yeah, something about teen pregnancy?" Ava added, looking to Bailey.
"Don't be like me," Bailey shook her head. "No boys too young."
"I can make an exception for you two cuties," Sugar grinned, ruffling the twins' hair as she sat back down.
****
Juniper walked down the hallway with her hand behind her back. She approached Quinn at her locker, unable to keep from smiling like an idiot.
"What's with that look?" Quinn asked, chuckling.
"I has something for you," Juniper sing-songed.
"I have something for you, too," Quinn hummed, smirking a little.
"Okay, you first."
"No, you."
"Age before dimples."
Quinn gasped and placed a hand to her chest in mock offense. "I'm not old."
"You're 18, I'm 17. That makes you old," Juniper smiled innocently. "You better hope for your sake that the cops don't find out you're dating a minor, cause they'd ship your ass off to jail."
"I'm only older by a few months, Oakley," Quinn chuckled with a playful roll of her eyes. She took a small box out of her locker and turned to Juniper with a teasing smile. "Don't be a smart ass."
"But you like my ass."
Quinn smirked, cocking a brow. "Indeed I do."
"Alright, enough with the chit chat," Juniper chuckled. "Shut up and give me my present, bitch."
"I could," Quinn hummed, smiling when Juniper narrowed her eyes at her. "But I think you should go first since you're younger."
"Okay, fine," the Latina sighed. She took her hand out from behind her back and handed Quinn a unicorn-print gift bag. "I apologize in advance for the unicorns," she chuckled. "It was the only thing I could find in Britt's house on short notice. I still feel a little awkward asking Pierce and Whitney to buy things for me. I would've asked Santana, but she's still pissed that I said there are better singers than Michael Jackson."
"I love unicorns," Quinn shrugged, smiling softly. She took out the pink tissue paper, revealing a scrapbook.
"It's not much, and it's not finished yet, but there's pictures and stuff from the last few months in there," Juniper said, nervously watching Quinn's facial expressions.
"Oh, Juni," Quinn breathed. She ran her fingers across the And so our journey begins... engraved in the bottom corner of the cover. She opened it up, laughing a little at the picture on the first page. It was over the summer when she had dyed her hair. Her head was leaned over the bathroom tub, and Juniper was holding pink cotton candy up for comparison. "I love it. We'll have to go through it later."
Quinn put the scrapbook back in the gift bag and put it in her locker for safe keeping. She handed Juniper the small box containing her present, untucking the necklace around her neck when she opened it.
"Is this some sort of possessive shit?" Juniper jokingly asked, chuckling. She carefully took out the silver Quinn necklace and put it on.
"Maybe," Quinn hummed. "No," she chuckled, shaking her head. "I got us matching ones." She showed the Latina her Juniper necklace. "I know it's kinda cheesy, but–"
"Shut up." Juniper got up on her tiptoes, wrapping her arms around Quinn's shoulders. She pecked her lips real quick. "I love it."
"I love you."
"I love you, too."
Quinn leaned in to kiss Juniper again, but, of course, life had other plans.
"Teen lesbians."
Juniper's brows pulled together, and she and Quinn turned in the direction of Principal Figgins' voice.
"I must see you in my office right now," he said, staring at the teenagers in unamusement.
****
The three couples looked at Principal Figgins in disbelief. Juniper made a move to lunge at the man, but Quinn held her back.
"This is such bullcrap!" Santana was the first to break the silence. "Why can't Brittany and I kiss in public? Why can't Quinn and Juni, and Sugar and Naomi kiss in public? Cause we're all two girls in a relationship?"
"I didn't realize you had a problem with gay people," Sugar said, narrowing her eyes at Figgins with a hand on Naomi's thigh.
"Please don't make this about your sapphic orientation," Figgins snapped. "This is about public displays of affection. PDA simply has no place in the sacred halls of McKinley High. We've had complaints!"
"When?" Juniper scoffed.
"Most recently..." Figgins looked inside of the manila folder sitting on the coffee table in front of him. "Sugar and Naomi yesterday at 12:16 p.m."
"That?" Sugar scoffed. "It was just a quick peck! There was no tongue involved!"
"And, by the way, did you get any complaints about that hideous display that started at 12:17 p.m. and lasted for several uncomfortable minutes?" Santana asked, raising a brow.
"Straight people shouldn't be allowed to kiss in public." Naomi scrunched her nose in disgust, shaking her head.
"If a student files a complaint because, for religious reasons–"
"Oh, great," Juniper interrupted the principal. "So it was a bible humper that complained. Religion has no place in a public school, so they can put on their big kid pants and grow the fuck up. Love is love, and we have every right to be affectionate with our partners."
"Tell 'em, girl." Naomi snapped her fingers in agreement.
"I'm sorry, but I'm trying to keep this school from turning into a volatile powder keg," Figgins said.
"That doesn't even make any sense!" Sugar snapped.
"I'm sorry, too," Santana said, scowling at Figgins as she stood up. "Cause all any of us want to be able to do is kiss our girlfriends, but I guess no one can see that because there's such an insane double standard at this school."
Santana left the office, Brittany following close behind. Quinn grabbed Juniper's hand and pulled her out, and Sugar shot Figgins a dirty look as she left with Naomi.
Once they were back out in the main hallway, Naomi put a hand on the back of Sugar's head, pulling her lips down to hers. Sugar smirked into the kiss at the act of rebellion and gave her hip a small squeeze.
"Quit tounging my baby sister and get to class," Autumn said as she passed them. She sent them a teasing smile over her shoulder.
"Love you, Auttie!" Naomi giggled.
"Love you more!" Autumn called back before her high ponytail disappeared around the corner.
"Come on, Nao," Sugar chuckled and laced their fingers together. She kissed her cheek. "Let's go to class."
"But I hate geometry," Naomi whined, pouting as she allowed Sugar to lead them to their class.
****
Autumn sat at the piano in the auditorium. She played a smooth melody while she waited for Rachel, who she had asked to come meet her so that she could give her her Valentine's Day present.
She heard footsteps, and Rachel walked in.
"Hey," Autumn smiled.
"Hi," Rachel returned the smile and sat down next to her girlfriend. "Sorry it took so long for me to get here. I had to listen to Juniper rant about getting called into Figgins' office. She was pretty upset."
"Yeah, Naomi sent me a whole bunch of voice messages explaining how dumb the whole thing was," Autumn chuckled. "I honestly don't see what the big deal is. They have every right to kiss their girlfriends in public."
"Our society has a lot of growing to do," Rachel nodded in agreement. "So what did you want to talk to me about?"
"Okay, so you know how I said I needed a little longer to finish your present?" Autumn asked. She opened up her notebook and set it down on the music rest. "Well, uh, I finished it, and I wanted to sing it for you."
Autumn ran her hand along the piano keys, the butterfly bracelet Rachel had gotten her shining under the glow of the spotlight.
"Took a deep breath in the mirror. He didn't like it when I wore high heels, but I do. Turn the lock and put my headphones on. He always said he didn't get this song, but I do. I do."
Her relationship with Puck was nothing like what she had with Rachel. All he ever wanted was to get in her Cheerios skirt, and he never cared about anything that she liked.
It was different with Rachel. A good different.
"I walked in expecting you'd be late, but you got here early and you stand and wave. I walk to you. You pull my chair out and help me in, and you don't know how nice that is, but I do."
She thought back to their meeting over the summer before they got back together, a small smile spreading across her lips. She blinked back tears, casting a quick glance at her girlfriend out of the corner of her eye.
"And you throw your head back laughing like a little kid. I think it's strange that you think I'm funny, 'cause he never did. I've been spending the last eight months thinking all love ever does is break, and burn, and end. But on a Wednesday in a café, I watched it begin again."
Rachel smiled softly, her own tears filling her mocha eyes.
"And we walked down the block to my car, and I almost brought him up. But you start to talk about the movies that your family watches every single Christmas, and I want to talk about that. And for the first time, what's past is past."
All the drama brought them to where they were today, and if it weren't for every bump in the road along the way, they would never be as happy as they were at this very moment.
"'Cause you throw your head back laughing like a little kid. I think it's strange that you think I'm funny, 'cause he never did. I've been spending the last eight months thinking all love ever does is break, and burn, and end. But on a Wednesday in a café, I watched it begin again."
There was a time when Autumn thought she'd never know what real love was. She didn't know what it meant to love somebody in the way that she'd read in books or seen movies, but Rachel had shown her.
She was able to heal from the cheating scandal with Puck, and she was able to begin again with Rachel even after their messy break-up last year.
"On a Wednesday in a café, I watched it begin again."
Rachel wiped away a tear as the song finished, and she smiled at Autumn when she turned to look at her. "Auts...that was beautiful. You're so talented."
"I mean, you should know, cause you're really talented, too," Autumn joked, laughing when Rachel did too.
"We've come a long way, huh?"
"Definitely," Autumn nodded. "You've grown a lot from that crazy girl that spied on me in the shower."
"That wasn't my intention," Rachel laughed. "I'm like a moth to a flame. I heard a pretty voice, and I followed it."
"Like a sailor to a siren?"
"Yeah, but not in the murdery way," Rachel chuckled. She brushed a fly-away out of Autumn's face and gently cupped her cheek. "I love you so much."
"I love you so much, too," Autumn smiled softly. She leaned in, capturing Rachel's lips in a soft kiss.
The diva wrapped her arms around the cheerleader's shoulders and pulled her closer, never wanting to let go.
****
****
a/n
this chapter took me so long to write because i didn't want to do it. like i want to work on this story, but i don't have motivation for it if that makes sense
anygays...
rachel and autumn are so cute 🥺
i remembered to include more quiper this time, and i was laughing so much while writing their scene
any ship name ideas for sugar and naomi?
thoughts?