Once Upon A Time In Lima (Part Two)

[hopenight]

Title: Once Upon A Time In Lima
Author: hopenight
Artist: breea1
Genre: Slash, Fantasy, Romance, Humor, Alternate Universe
Word Count: 15, 226
Rating: PG-13
Characters/Pairings: Finn Hudson, Will Schuester, Noah "Puck" Puckerman, Rachel Berry, Brittany, Quinn Fabray, Terri Schuester, Will/Finn, Rachel/Brittany, past Will/Terri, past Quinn/Finn, past Quinn/Puck
Warnings/Spoilers: boy kissing, age difference, AU
Author's Note: I would like to tank the people over at the winnners community for just being them! I would also like to thank starryskies/gleeful_beatfor just being there! I would like to thank my beta squire_conrad
Summary: We are shown early on that life isn’t like a fairytale or a legend. However, there are those rare cases when something magical happens. Finn Hudson’s case is in the more extreme version of things. After breaking into a house on a dare, he meets Will who is a really nice guy with a killer voice. Problem is that he’s kind of cursed to look like a horrible beast.
Suddenly Finn finds himself spending time with Will and falling a little bit in love. However, his best friend and his ex-girlfriend are keeping a secret. He has to help start a lesbian relationship. And in the midst of all this, he needs to make his happy ending. No said being in your own fairytale would be easy after all. It just makes life so much more interesting.

 

“I want to hold your hand,” –The Beatles

Finn had this crazy talent for picking locks. He admired his handiwork at breaking into the house once he was done. Maybe if college didn’t pan out, then he could definitely become a thief…maybe with a second sidekick in a black leather bodysuit and sweet ninja moves.

(Cut him a break. He’s a teenage boy. Yes it’s a good excuse.)

The house was quite normal looking for supposedly harboring a monster. Despite the decrepit appearance outside, it was actually quite pleasant. It was all done in warm beiges and browns, reminding Finn of his own home, minus the fact that the building was a couple hundred years old of course. 

He walked over to the counter pausing when he saw cookies and still steaming cup of hot chocolate. A note card was propped up with one word written on it:

Welcome!

Well that was anti-climatic. He was hoping for something more like get out and a threat on his livelihood. It would have made for a better story then cookies and hot chocolate.

Still it would be rude to turn down such a generous offer. Finn grabbed a cookie and nibbled on its edge. He bit back a moan of delight as warm chocolate chunks and sweet pastry filled his mouth. That was probably the best damn cookie that he ever had in his life.

He freaking loved this beast, despoiling of virgins be damned.

He wandered around the downstairs. It was sort of bare. A couple of boring paintings hung on the walls. There was no real life except for the gaping hole in the carpet. Finn crouched down and poked the rug. Maybe that was where the virgins got despoiled.

“Love is all you need…”

Finn sat up hearing the Beatles. The voice was what caught his ear’s attention more though. It was deep, smooth, and like silk. He never heard a voice that pretty in a guy before. Finn cast a glance outside to where Puck was waiting in his darkened truck.

Well…maybe some investigating was warranted.

Research purposes only.

Quiet as a mouse, Finn crept up the stairs. He paused in the opened doorway where there were several instruments visible in the moonlight. Hunched over what was the piano was a large hulking form, which Finn assumed to be the beast. He squinted in the small sliver that the crescent moon had to offer. He saw the flash of claws, the long mane of curls that tumbled down its back.

It was definitely a beast that was singing the Beatles.

Huh maybe those despoiling the virgins rumor was a huge crock.

“Love, Love, Love…” joined in Finn without ever realizing it.

The beast stopped and slowly turned. Finn gulped without realizing it. He hoped that he didn’t anger the monstrous being hunched over the piano. It didn’t look anger even with its wickedly long pointed teeth and protruding, curled horns. The face was human looking besides the extra appendages. In the silver light of the moon, its gray-green eyes looked friendly, kind.

So Finn said to the beast the only thing that came to mind,

“You know if you listen to the Beatles’ there is no way you are despoiling virgins.” 

The beast stared at him for several moments before the outline an eyebrow being raised was shown in the moonlight. Finn shrugged his shoulders in a very casual manner. He put forth his argument on the fact that a beast singing the Beatles did not make him a stealer of virginity.

“What? It makes a good case. If you singing the Sex Pistols or something then I totally would buy into the despoiling of virgins stuff. As of right now? Not jumping on that particular bandwagon. However, if you want me to buy into then I could. I’ll run out of the house screaming if restores your beasthood feeling.”

“I’m good. Thanks,” said the beast in a very human voice. It surprised Finn because he was expecting it to be all growling and animal like. It was actually a very nice voice. The football player grinned.

“Excellent.”

“So why did you break into my home?” asked the beast cautiously. It was as though he was shocked that Finn was staying. Which Finn could totally understand; if he was in the beast’s position then he wouldn’t believe it very much either. This was pretty much the most interesting thing that he had ever seen in Lima. So there was no way in hell he was leaving. Well not for the next couple minutes anyways because Puck was waiting for him in the car.

“I was dared. Are you gonna call the cops on me?”

The beast paused for a moment.

“I won’t on one condition.”

“The eternal quest of the individual human being is to shatter his loneliness.” –Norman Cousins

Will wasn’t a selfish person. He gave money to charity. When he was human, he volunteered at the local organizations: licking envelopes, calling people, helping with events. He loved giving back to the community. So it was rare when a selfish urge took over him.

But he was just so lonely. He had been locked in his own home for the past six years with no company. And there was this kid, who wasn’t scared of him. Staring at him with this innocent expression painted on his face. Will could not resist.

He would hate himself in the morning. Right now though, there urge was strong and the loneliness that would overtake him was a cold reminder.

“What’s the condition?” asked the kid shuffling from foot to foot.

“I just want some company,” confessed Will rubbing a hand on the back of his neck.

“Like company company?”

Will could feel himself flushed, “No! Not that sort of company. Why do you have such a one track mind?”

“Teenage boy,” said the kid with a shrug of his shoulders and smile that said ‘what can you do’.

“I just want someone around the house. Do you have any idea how lonely it is being a beast?”

“Can’t say that I do,” said the teen, “Alright. I’ll do it.”

Will had to do a double take at that. He was expecting protesting, anger, anything other than the easy acceptance given by the teenager. This kid was rattling him pretty badly. He knew how fairytales went and the monster always died at the end.

“I’m Finn.”

Will paused for a moment looking at the hand that Finn had offered before him. He slowly held out the twisted paw-hand that was his since the spell.

“I’m Will.”

Finn smiled wide and true. It was a melting smile that possibly made girls and guys a like quake in desire. Will tried to suppress the small shudder that went through him.

“It’s nice to meet you, Will.”

And the best part was that Finn sounded like he really meant it.

“Knowledge is power but enthusiasm pulls the switch.”-Ivern Ball

Finn knew that he wasn’t the smartest guy in the world. He was never going to earn scholastic awards or join MENSA. But he kept a solid ‘B’ average in most classes and that was more than he could ask for. Still he wished that he could have taken any language other than Spanish. He knew that it was easy possible foreign language to take. He could barely speak English correctly. Another language wasn’t really the way to go.

So Coach called him into his office Monday morning and said point blank,

“Look, Hudson, you want to stay on the team? You got to get at least a ‘C’ in Spanish. It’s the best offer that we could get.”

Finn really liked football. Sure the team wasn’t all that good but still he had fun. So he left practice feeling pretty crummy. Checking his watch, he realized that today was the first meeting with Will.

He should be a little bit nervous about going to meet a monster without anyone knowing. Instead the prospect filled Finn with a kind of excitement that frightened and thrilled him at the same time. Something finally was happening in his life that was different, interesting and just for himself.

He never really got a lot of things just for himself. Most of his toys were second-hand as were his clothes. His mom had scrape money together just to pay the bills. So Finn welcomed anything that he could keep secret, that only he could know, that was his first. So this was pretty exciting in his dull, drab life. Besides Will was way too nice to scare Finn.

Will really wasn’t what Finn imagined in a beast. He was expecting something like the Wolfman or a horror movie monster. All snarling and incoherent-ness, not leaving cookies and cocoa for intruders and wanting company instead of calling the police; it made Finn really mad at whoever did this to Will. He didn’t know much about genetics and evolutions but he was fairly certain that something like Will wasn’t supposed to happen.

Magic is a failsafe answer in solutions like this. For centuries, Finn remembered, people would use mystical solutions to explain common things. The old Greek myths served this purpose and those were really cool. The gods were really powerful but they made mistakes. So for Will’s appearance it could be explain as some freak genetic mutation (but Finn didn’t think that genetics worked like that) or it could be magic.

So Finn decided to explain Will’s appearance with magic and not think about it too much. He usually did that when he didn’t want to ponder on it too much. And it served him well in the past.

The football player was walking to where his bike was racked, when he saw a familiar form waiting for him. He bit a back a groan.

It was Quinn.

Quinn Fabray was the head cheerleader, president of celibacy club, and up for valedictorian when they graduate. She was petite, lean, and thin with long legs and soft blonde hair. She was, as with many of the cheerleaders, in her uniform for the Cheerios. She was also for a time, his girlfriend. He ended it mainly because while he wanted her, lusted after her. He knew that they would just last through high school and hate each other after.

Plus he had a sneaking suspicion that she cheated on him. He couldn’t confirm it though but he knew that he deserved better than that.

“Hi Quinn,” he greeted awkwardly, “Could I help you with something?”

Quinn looked up at him, “Are you ready to stop this foolishness?”

Christ, she was going to be a crazy ex. He really couldn’t deal with a crazy ex right now. He silently wished that a freak sinkhole would open up and swallow him whole. He was really rooting for it.

“Quinn, we both were not happy,” said Finn simply as he unlocked his bike, “Were we really going to keep up this charade through high school?”

“Yes,” snapped Quinn folding her arms across her chest. Her signature huffy look was firmly in place, “Do you have any clue what they’re saying about you, Finn?”

“Nope,” said the quarterback, “And frankly I don’t give a shit about what people are saying about me. You were the one obsessed with images. I just want to get the hell out of Lima as do you. So what if we’re not boyfriend and girlfriend anymore? People break up all the time. It’s nothing earth-shattering.”

“It is in high school!”

“Then those people need to get lives or hobbies,” pointed out Finn.

“Like your freaky hobby?” sneered Quinn with an eyebrow raise.

“I like legends. There’s nothing wrong with having knowledge on something. Why? Are people expecting me to be a dumb jock?”

“Kind of,” said the blonde dropping her defenses, “I…I’m just confused Finn.”

“I like you, Quinn. I just don’t like you the way you want me to. And I don’t want to hurt you like that.”

“Then who do you like?”

“No one,” answered Finn honestly, “And I’m happy like that. Besides you weren’t happy with the way we were going too.”

“I guess not,” answered Quinn before nodding. She paused and looked like she wanted to say something. Whatever it was though seemed to not come out instead she straightened herself up and said, “Sorry if I seemed psycho. I thought I did something wrong.”

Quinn was a bit of perfectionist.

“We can still be friends right?”

Quinn gave a sad smile before nodding.

“I’d like that.”

“Awesome,” said Finn with a quirk of his lips, “Now I gotta go somewhere. But we’ll hang out soon?”

“Sure.”

Finn smiled and began to peddle away. Quinn sighed and placed a hand over his stomach.

“C’mon baby. It looks like we need to tell your real daddy who he is.”

She couldn’t do that to Finn. Even though she knew that he would get with her in a second if she told him that her child was his. She couldn’t put him through that because he was right.

Sighing she went off to find Puck. This was going to be a lot harder than she originally planned.

“Speak not of this moment, instead let it be intertwined within the fabric of our lives forever. No one can take that back.” –Unknown

Will was surprised that Finn even showed up. He was reading a book that he ordered off of the internet when the teenager burst through his back door.

“Hey Will,” greeted Finn brightly as he sat his backpack on the floor. Will stared at him in shock. He was pretty sure that he was gaping but if he was than Finn didn’t mention it.

“Hi,” he said quickly, “You came.”

“Course I did. I make a promise and I keep my promises,” said Finn with a shrug of his shoulders. He plopped down on the couch with a textbook in hand, “Mind if I do some homework?”

“Go for it? Would you like something to eat?”

“That would be the best thing I’ve been asked all day.”

Will chuckled as he went to the kitchen to gather some food and his bearings. It was odd to see someone in his living room again, willingly. But it filled Will with a kind of hope that he hadn’t had in a long, long time. He hurriedly gathered some brownies that he made earlier in the day and milk before bringing it out to the teen.

“Those look good,” said Finn with a cautious smile on his face.

“Thanks,” said Will, “I made them.”

Finn took a bite of the brownie and licked the frosting from his lips.

“This is seriously the best brownie I ever had.”

“They’re not that good.”

“Pack of lies, Will, pack of lies.”

“Thanks.”

Will watched Finn take another bite of the brownie before turning his attentions back to the book before him. Silence reigned throughout the room for several more minutes. It wasn’t awkward oddly enough more peaceful. It felt strange to hear the scratching of a pencil and flipping of the pages. Curiosity overtook Will as he placed the novel down.

“What’re you studying?”

“Spanish, Coach says that I need to bring up my grade or he’ll kick me off the team,” grunted Finn around the pencil placed between his teeth.

Will’s interest was on the book in a second, “Seriously?”

“Yeah, I can barely do English right. There’s no hope for me in another language.”

“Don’t put yourself down. I’m sure you know more than you think do.”

“I think I know less than I think I do,” corrected Finn.

“I could help you,” offered Will shyly, “I have a degree in Spanish.”

“Serious?”

“As serious as a heart attack,” joked Will. Finn cracked a smile.

“Then I definitely welcome your help. Just keep the crappy jokes to yourself.”

“No promises,” said Will feeling a slight smile overtake his face. Finn let out a bark of laughter as Will began to help him with his verbs.

And if he found that he enjoyed the teen’s company more than he should. Well Will pretended not to notice it. Even if Finn had a wicked sense of humor, a great taste in music, and the loudest happiest laugh he has ever heard.

“Lord, what fools these mortals be!” –Puck A Midsummer Night’s Dream

The thing with magic is that it’s a tricky master. Potions have different effects then spells. Words are more important than the order of anything else. Ingredients react differently with other things than what one might expect. There are deals to made, deeds to be done, things to unbalanced and balanced again in magic. Magicians, witches, warlocks, beings of magic are always on their collective toes because of the ever changing nature of the power around and within them.

Magic is a very fickle bitch, if you think about it.

I bet you’re wondering what the potion that Terri spiked in Will’s drink was supposed to do. Well originally it was a love potion. It didn’t force Will to fall madly in love with her because that goes against magic’s nature. No it was a potion to bring together two people perfect for each other.

Notice that the term: soul-mate is not used.

It’s a nice concept. Looking across the room, a sudden spark, an instant connection, true love and all that rubbish filled the mind as desire overtakes the form. However, something as deep as love is not to be characterized lightly in soul-mates. There are people perfect for each other but always remain friends. Some of the most screwed up relationships end up lasting the longest. I don’t think there is such a thing as the other half of the soul. Otherwise, it would sort of make life boring.

Having someone just tailored made for you?

A relationship needs conflict and comfort to thrive. It needs love and passion to grow and sometimes anger to get pruned back. Love is like a rose. The spell was made for the person who ingests it to find the person in which their relationship would bloom beautifully under.

Unfortunately for Will, turning someone into a beast was not part of the potions creation; the wine added that part on its own. Basically the alcohol and the lazy dreams of the fermented grapes mixed with high energy and whimsical fantasy of the magic potion. The alcohol does what it does to us all. It made the magic a little drunk, a little giddy, and filled with possibilities.

And so it turned the poor teacher’s life into the fairytale. Changing him into a beast until the right person comes along and sets him free. It’s all terribly romantic and full of dreams.

Because isn’t that what we all want? Someone to see us imprisoned in our castles of self doubts and hidden desires, locked away in the very tippy top guarding our heart so that it doesn’t get trampled on? Aren’t we all waiting for someone to tear down the shields and barriers that we place around our hearts because if we let it slip for just a moment there’s a chance for pain and heartache?

Maybe the pain and heartache is worth it because if we endure enough, search enough, and come out the other end of the tunnel relatively unscathed then there’s a good chance we could find the person just right enough?

Life isn’t a fairytale. There are no locked away princesses, chivalrous knights, terrible orges, and evil witches but there is faith and magic if you look for it.

Life isn’t a fairytale but it strongly resembles one if you look hard enough.

Will and Finn’s tale is just at the other end of the spectrum.

 Part Three