Rock'n'Roll All Nite

by Ratcatcher09

Summary:

High schooler's life is full of everyday struggles, be it the midterm exams or the Homecoming ball. Throw in a teen pregnancy and you have a recipe for a disaster. Yeah, Liam is screwed.

Book 1 of 6
Crossposted on Wattpad

Notes:

|Disclaimer|

I own nothing but my own original characters and plot lines. The rest belongs to Fox TV.

 

|Trigger Warnings|

This story will include adult themes such as smut, pregnancy, swearing, mental health issues, eating disorders, self-image issues and others.

Read at your own risk. Minors don't interact.

Especially triggering or adult parts will be marked like this *Adult Themes Ahead*.

 

|Author's Note|

Please do not share or translate my work without my consent.

English isn't my language so any remarks on my spelling are appreciated.

Feel free to comment your opinions, I'll try responding to every one of them.

Enjoy!

Chapter 1: Pilot

High school parties, to simply put it, were crazy. Something was always bound to happen and the rumours were close to follow. And this one wasn’t an exception, unfortunately.

While they were aware of the several noise complaints they already received, nobody bothered to turn down the music that was booming through the house, drunk teenagers dancing in every corner. Noah „Puck“ Puckerman was infamous for his rowdy parties, but even he had to admit that this one took it a bit too far. There was spilled beer everywhere and the air stung of sweat and weed. He already dreaded the mess he would have to clean up.

Needing some fresh air, Liam stumbled through the thongs of dancing people, pushing them out of his way. Some hockey player tried to get burly with him but was dragged away by his friends, who weren’t in the mood to get in a fight with the school’s golden boy.

After bumping into some of his friends, he finally reached the back door leading up to the porch. He almost turned back when he registered voices coming from the outside, not wanting to witness another obnoxious make-out session, but when he recognized the sweet melody, he ventured further, his tipsy haze numbing his logical thinking.

„What do you mean you won’t be back until later? Finn, I came here because of you!“ the blonde had her back turned to him, leaning on the railing as she huffed in frustration, her brow surely pulled into a frown, „No, I don’t care what Puckerman says. You should be here with me.“

Liam stepped next to her, copying her position as he nursed the cold beer he had in his hands. She just glanced at him in acknowledgement before rolling her forest green eyes at the excuse Finn gave her. She groaned, running her fingers through her shoulder-length hair, making the boy next to her chuckle in amusement at her dramatics. She shot him a glare, even though a small smile formed at the corners of her lips.

„Okay, fine. Enjoy egging some stupid kid's house, because that’s all the action you’ll be getting the whole week,“ then she hung up, cutting off the stuttering that came from the phone with a sigh, „I don’t know how you live with him.“

„It’s not always easy, but you get used to it,“ Liam sent her a lopsided smile, nodding toward the thundering celebration that showed no signs of slowing down, „Life of a party animal is not one for you?“

She let out a dry laugh, finally turning her full attention to him. Liam’s emerald eyes roamed her figure, taking in every detail, every curve. At school, she always seemed so tense, so hell-bent on always emanating an air of authority, but here, out of her Cheerios uniform, she looked almost free. She even let her hair down, the blonde waves brushing the tops of her collarbones, the scent of her strawberry shampoo washing over the boy at their close proximity.

„I came here because Finn begged me to, said it would be fun,“ she looked away from him, choosing to inspect her fingernails instead, no matter that the red polish was flawless as always, „Should have known better than to trust someone like him.“

„The Quinn Fabray admitting a mistake out loud. Now that’s something to drink to,“ Liam raised his beer teasingly, taking a gulp of it and pouting when he realised that it was empty.

Quinn let out a genuine giggle at his slightly slurred words and inspected his face. His usually combed hair was slightly mussed, a few loose strands falling into his eyes which were a little glassy and unfocused. As she stared into them longer, she noticed the golden specs in them that shined under the porch light as well as the slight freckles on the top of his nose. Without realising it she leaned closer, her cherry lips parting slightly as her gaze never left his. Maybe it was the alcohol coursing through her veins or something she didn’t dare to untangle, but her heart may have jumped a little when his hot breath tickled her cheeks.

Both of them sprang apart when a slam echoed from the inside of the house, followed by drunken cheers. Liam rubbed the back of his neck bashfully, trying to hide his blush, but the red tips of his ears gave him away. Quinn wasn’t faring much better, willing the sudden heat in her cheeks away as well as the dryness in her mouth. The boy was the first one to find the courage to speak, swallowing around the lump that formed in his throat.

„Do you want to get somewhere quieter?“ he asked, avoiding eye contact, choosing to look at his beat-up Converse instead.

„No,“ answered Quinn after a bit of consideration, tilting her head to the side with a suggestive look, „I want to get wasted.“

She grabbed his hand and tugged him back inside, snatching two red solo cups from a passing freshman, and pressing one of them into Liam’s chest with a mischievous smirk. This was going to be a wild night.

 

-|-

 

The door slammed against the wall as the pair stumbled into the room, but they couldn’t care less, too wrapped up in each other. Liam groaned when Quinn tugged at the roots of his hair, bringing him even closer if that was even possible as they continued their heated kiss. He blindly closed the door, locking it for a good measure before turning around and pressing the cheerleader against them.

Quinn gasped at the change of position, but it soon turned into a moan when she felt his lips descending lower, painting the expanse of her neck with small bites. She dug her nails into his shoulders, encouraging him to go on as she pushed his letterman jacket off him.

„God, I can’t get enough of you,“ admitted Liam, his voice coming out almost like a growl before he pressed his lips to hers, searching for another kiss.

Quinn’s whole body felt like it was on fire as he deepened it, asking for an entrance with his tongue, one she eagerly granted. She shivered when she felt his hands brush against her thighs, finally reaching her ass before tapping it twice.

Understanding the silent demand, she jumped up, wrapping her legs around his waist, not once breaking the kiss. He stumbled to what he hoped was the direction of the bed, smirking when his knees hit the wooden frame. He let her down gently, his hands not leaving her alluring body as they wrapped themselves around her slim waist.

He raised the edges of her shirt, glancing up for reassurance before fully taking it off, licking his lips at the view. There she lay in front of him, her chest rapidly rising, pushing her lace-covered breast practically in his face. He ran his fingers up her toned stomach, revelling in the goosebumps that followed in their wake. At the same time, he peppered her collarbones in featherlight kisses, making her giggle slightly and push his head off.

„Stop! That tickles!“ he chuckled at her reaction, before nipping playfully at her pulse point, rendering her silent.

From there he continued downwards, being careful not to leave any marks even though he desperately wanted to. He felt her breath hitch when he reached her breasts, his eyes shooting up to make sure everything was all right. He was met with a pair of blackened orbs, the green iris barely peeking through as she bit on her bottom lip, nodding her head in reassurance.

He deftly undid the clasp of her white bra, his mouth practically watering at what lay beneath. Tossing it somewhere behind him, he inspected the newly revealed skin with admiration. The pink buds were hardened to points, enticing him until he couldn’t resist the temptation. He wrapped his lips around one of them, massaging the other with his hand.

Quinn let out a sigh at the feeling, threading her fingers in his chocolate brown hair, the sound turning into a moan when he grazed his teeth against the sensitive bud. After a few moments of worshipping the soft mounds, he traversed further down, playfully biting and licking at the fair skin beneath his lips.

He gave extra attention to her hip bones, teasing the edge of her trousers with his nose, making her hips jump up. He forcefully held them down, sending the blonde a warning look before continuing with his ministrations.

„Please,“ whimpered Quinn beneath him, tugging particularly harsh at his hair.

„Please what?“ Liam asked with a smirk, his finger circling the button of her slacks, „Is this what you want?“

„Yes,“ she breathed out, the far-away look in her eyes making his gaze soften.

„Don’t worry, I’ll take care of you,“ he whispered against her core before pulling the zip down with his teeth while undoing the button.

He slowly slid the cloth down, admiring every centimetre of the skin that was revealed to him. When he was done, he looked up, frowning at the insecurity clouding Quinn’s face as she tried to hide away from him.

He surged upwards, stopping a breath away from her face and leaving a chaste kiss against her pouted lips, stealing the air from her lungs as he muttered.

„You’re irresistible,“ he then moved down once again, leaving a stray kiss here and there, stopping at his target.

He glanced up once more, searching for any sign of discomfort on Quinn’s face, but finding only unmasked need. With that, he slid the panties down, the cloth soon meeting the matching set on the floor. Quinn sucked in a breath when the cold air hit her, instinctually crossing her legs, but a pair of firm hands holding them apart prevented her from doing so.

Liam started at her inner thighs, leaving a scathing trail there all the way to their apex, his warm breath brushing against where she needed him the most. The noise she let out, something between a whine and a moan, made him abandon all his teasing and dive right in, preening under the yelp that escaped her.

Quinn's eyes rolled to the back of her head at his ministrations, loving how his tongue explored her with such eagerness and curiosity. This felt heavenly, so much better than she imagined and she was a hundred per cent sure it was because of the boy momentarily laying in between her thighs.

As Liam dove deeper, ravishing the slick goodness spread in front of him, the tip of his nose bumped into her sensitive clit, making Quinn let out a moan that would make pornstars jealous. Enjoying the way the sound went straight to his core, making his jeans even tighter, he paid closer attention to the place, the clit practically peeking out from its hood.

He wrapped his lips around it, keeping a firm hold on Quinn’s thighs as they attempted to crush him, probably leaving his handprints in the process. He then experimentally probed his finger at Quinn’s entrance, making her lose her mind.

„Yes! Yes, right there!“ she shrieked, raking her sharp nails over the top of his shoulder, moaning when she felt the muscles rippling under her touch, „Fuck, you’re making me feel so good. Don’t you dare to fucking stop!“

Liam’s eyes widened at the cuss words leaving her lips, a rumble escaping from deep within his throat, creating vibrations around Quinn’s clit. He felt the walls around his finger tighten as well as the legs around his ears, almost crushing him with their strength. If this was his way to go, then he would die entirely happy.

With one last nibble at her clit, Quinn’s back arched off the mattress, a silent scream leaving her parted lips as she felt the coil in her stomach snap, flooding Liam’s face with more of her juices. The boy just licked them up greedily, only pulling away when she flinched away from his touch, too oversensitive to continue at the moment.

„That was…wow,“ her hazy eyes focused on his figure as he got up from between her legs, leisurely licking up the liquids running down his chin and hand.

She felt another wave of arousal grip her insides at the sight and she sprung up to meet him hallway, taking his slick-covered fingers into her mouth without hesitation. Liam’s jaw fell slack at the sensation, the blood rushing into his lower region and reminding him how painfully hard he was. Quinn, the picture of innocence while she was anything but, let the fingers out with a pop, smacking her lips with satisfaction at his dazed state.

„Now we need to take care of this,“ she gripped his hard-on through his jeans, making him groan and push into her hand, whining when she pulled away, „But first these have to come off.“

She tugged at his belt loops, pulling him further into the bed and making him lay down before straddling his waist. Liam moaned when he felt her weight rest on him, already knowing that he would never forget that night. Oh, how right and wrong he was at the same time.

 

-|-

 

The thunderous beating of drums echoed across the whole house, its occupants not very happy about being woken up in such a way. Liam groaned in annoyance, hiding his head under the pillow to block out all the noise as he tried to grasp at the fading edges of his dream. It was about her.

Again.

Like always.

„Finn Hudson, it’s 6 in the morning! Are you out of your mind?“ the screeching of his mother brought him out of his glum thoughts.  

Liam chuckled at the argument he could hear down the hallway, pulling the pillow off his head, only to come face to face with big brown eyes staring at him expectantly.

„What are you looking at?“ his voice was gruff and thick with sleep, but the German Pointer didn’t seem to care as she tilted her head to the side with a curious whine, „You want a cuddle?“

The dog huffed in annoyance, laying her muzzle at the front of her paws, her tail waging lazily from side to side.

„Okay, then,“ scoffed Liam, rolling onto his side and inspecting his companion with squinted eyes, „You want breakfast?“

She jumped up, twirling around on the bed as she began yapping happily, swatting him with her tail in the process.  

„All right, girl,“ laughed the boy, pushing her away and running a hand through his dark messy hair, stretching his back until he heard that satisfying pop, „Let’s get some food in you, you beast.“

He untangled out of the sheets, yawning as he trudged toward his closet, hurrying up when the dog barked behind him.

„I’m going, don’t worry,“ he pulled a shirt over his head, then continued to search for a pair of jeans, „No need to stress.“

„Oh, you’re already up. Good,“ Carol poked her head in, smiling wide as her son turned at her, rubbing the sleep from his eyes, „Mike’s mom just called. She said they’re picking you up on their way to school.“

„Sweet,“ sighed Liam, returning to the messy drawer while Carol stepped further into the room, straightening the sheets as she went, „Hey, mom, did you see my black jeans anywhere?“

„Yeah, they’re in the laundry. I haven’t had the chance to wash them yet,“ she sat on the bed, chuckling when the dog bounded over to her, climbing into her lap, „Hey, there, Joy.“

„What? Mom, I need them,“ groaned the younger Hudson, running a hand over his face tiredly.

„Well, you should do your own laundry, then,“ she quipped back, scratching Joy behind her ear.

„I tried that once, we all know how that ended,“ they shared a laugh over the fond memory, both of them remembering how the foam filled the bathroom, leaking from the washing machine, „I could smell the detergent for months.“

„Yeah, maybe you should leave that to me,“ a honk came from outside the window just as Liam pulled on his cargos, „Looks like Mrs Chang is here.“

„Fuck… I… I mean frick,“ Liam threw himself toward his shoes, clumsily pulling them on his feet as stumbled through the door, snatching his letterman jacket off the hanger by the door, „Could you feed Joy for me? Thanks! I love you! Bye!“

The door slammed shut and she could hear the car drive away a moment later, making her sigh and share an exasperated look with Joy.

„What will I ever do with them?“ the dog just huffed, leaning her head down once again, asking for more scratches „You‘re right. I should just lock them out of the house and crack open a bottle of wine. Or three.“

 

-|-

 

If you asked anybody on the track and field team, they would tell you that Coach Sanchez was a hardass. Fair, sure, he gave everyone the same opportunities, but he couldn’t stand slackers and always liked his athletes at their peak. It’s what earned him such a successful career, bringing back to school three national trophies in a row. But even though he laid down a set of rules his trustees had to follow no matter what, he never refused a celebratory pizza with the team after a fruitful meeting.

Right now, most of his runners thought that Leo Sanchez was the devil incarnate as the burning in their lungs intensified from the suicide runs they had been doing for the past fifteen minutes.

„Come on, slowpokes, if I can see you and not just the dust behind you, you’re doing something wrong!“ the tall, lean man yelled out, crouching down as he motivated his future champions, „Jenkins, widen those steps! Hannah, what the hell are you doing? Taking a stroll? This isn’t a damn park!“

Liam pushed through the pain he felt in his calves, trying to keep his breath steady. He collapsed at the finish line, his chest heaving as he took big gulps of breath. Suddenly, a pair of worn-down sneakers appeared in his vision, making him look up to see the satisfied smile on his coach’s face.

„Burns, eh?“ hummed the Latino man, chuckling at the weak glare shot his way.

„Y… yeah,“ wheezed out the younger Hudson, holding the side of his rib cage as he sat up, taking a big gulp out of his water bottle.

„Good. Keep it up and you’ll be captain in no time,“ the coach kicked his spiked shoes lightly as he passed him, heading toward the sideline, „Hit the showers, I’ll finish up with the rest of them.“

Liam stood up, snickering when he heard Leo rip into the newbie that just joined, giving him the tough love they all received at the beginning.

„Jesuscristo, Marco! Are you trying to cripple yourselves! Por el amor de Dios!“ soon he was too far away to hear them, walking in the direction of the bleachers at the side of the pitch.

As he walked by another practice, he caught a certain cheerleader’s eye. The blonde quickly glanced away, focusing on the routine they had to perfect. Liam just sighed with disappointment, throwing his bag at the nearest bench and slumping next to it.

„You think this is hard? Try being waterboarded, that’s hard!“ commented Sue Sylvester, the coach of the Cheerios, through her megaphone, startling the boy from his self-pity.

Sure, Mr Sanchez could be strict and a bit demanding at times, but compared to him, Coach Sylvester was wicked. She prowled the halls of McKinley High, pushing the students into the lockers and terrorizing those who dared to oppose her. Thankfully, he always escaped her wrath, but from what Santana told him, it was devastating.

He took off his sweaty shirt, tossing it to the side as he wiped his face off with a spare towel. He then leaned down and began to untie his spiked shoes, only for another pair to enter his vision, the telltale white Cheerio sneakers. His eyes glided up the pair of long tan legs and the slender body before finally settling on the smirking face of one Santana Lopez.

„Look what the cat dragged in,“ she teased, taking a seat beside him and leaning back, basking in the morning sun, „You look like shit.“

„Yes, I’m aware. Thank you,“ he searched his backpack for a hoodie to fight off the chill that settled in after all the adrenaline had worn off, putting it on once he found it buried underneath power bars, „Did you just come here to mock me or do you need anything important?“

„Calm down, Mano. Don’t get your boxers in a bunch,“ she shoved him in the shoulder, making him retaliate in kind, „I just came to see how my best friend’s doing but seeing that he is a huge dick, I’m gonna go.“

„Oh, no, you won’t,“ he caught her arm just before she could leave and tugged her down on his lap, wrapping his arms around her as she trashed in his grip, „You’re stuck with me.“

„Get off me, pendejo! You’re all sweaty and shit!“ she tried to push off him, but he held her like a vice, laughing at her futile attempts.

„Not until you tell me that you love me. Come on, say it. I know you want to,“ he teased her, starting to tickle her now, to which she shrieked with laughter.

„Fine,“ after a bit of struggling she relented, grumpily admitting with her head bowed down, „I love you. But you’re still an idiot.“

„And proud of it,“ he puffed out his chest after he let her go, grinning at her with his dimples on the show.

„You would be,“ she was about to say more, but another pair of cheerleaders joined them.

The taller of the two blondes let out an excited squeal once she saw the younger Hudson, bounding over to him and slamming into his side.

„Bear, I missed you so much during the summer!“ she pouted at him, making him aww, „Lord Tubbington was a menace after you showed him how to play videogames.“

„Aww, I’m sorry, Britt. I just thought it would help with his drug addiction,“ a loud clearing of a throat brought them out of their discussion, turning their attention to Quinn.

„Santana, are you coming? We’ll be late for Spanish,“ she bit out hotly, finally sparing a glance at the athlete with a fake smile, „Liam, how are you?“

„Good, ready for anything this year throws at me,“ despite the tension between them, he grinned at her, happy to have a smidge of her attention, „How about you?“

„I would be happier if my cheerleaders weren’t distracted by your antics during the practice,“ she sneered, her cold facade back in place.

Since that night, she hasn’t been anything but ice cold towards him, fleeting at every chance she got. She even stopped meeting Finn at their house, worried she would see the younger brother.

„What do you mean?“ asked Liam, confused by her implications.

„She means that you can’t just walk around half-naked, idiota,“ Santana slapped the back of his head in a scolding manner before both of them cracked up.

„Why do I even bother?“ sighed the head Cheerio before stomping away toward the school.

„Somebody needs to cool down,“ snickered Santana, shaking her head with mock disappointment, „No wonder, you’re going crazy, with her around all the time.“

„Yeah, thanks for the reminder,“ grumbled the younger Hudson, getting up and picking up his gym bag, „You coming?“

„Yeah,“ they started walking off the field, chatting about everything and anything, „Did you know that Anna Jenkins used to wear braces?“

„Wait, really?“

„Uh-huh, I found the pictures.“

„You, Santana Lopez, are truly evil.“

 

-|-

 

A group of Cheerios was sitting on the bleachers after excusing themselves from P.E., watching another horrid video that the school’s diva, Rachel Berry, posted on MySpace. It was their routine by now. They would always post mean comments under every one of her videos, and the rest of the school soon joined to get in their good graces.

This time, however, something was different. While Quinn and Santana giggled over the comments popping up on their screen, their friends' attention was elsewhere.

„He’s just so handsome, you know?“ said one of the cheerleaders dreamily, staring off into space.

„Totally. He reminds me of a Jess from Gilmore Girls,“ the other sighed, resting her head on her arm, „You know, once he helped me pick up my books after Karofsky knocked them down. I couldn’t stop blushing for another hour.“

„What are you two babbling about?“ barked out Santana, annoyed with their chatter interrupting her happy time.

„Only about the most handsome guy in school,“ scoffed one of them, Quinn thought she was named Ashley or Alyssa, she couldn't care less.

Ava pointed to the basketball court where the class was running through their warm-up laps, especially to the leading group in front. There, casually jogging backwards, was one Liam Hudson, chatting with his best friends Mike Chang and Matt Rutherford.

They were known throughout the whole school as Triple Trouble, with all of its members being from the popular sort. Mike was the McKinley’s Titans tight end and overall a nice guy, if not a little hyperactive. Matt on the other side was more shy and closed off, preferring to stay away from the crowds. He was also one of their football team’s linebackers.

Then there was Liam Hudson, the human embodiment of a golden retriever. He was friends practically with anyone, be it a loser or a cheerleader, and the school sure loved their golden boy. Coach Tanaka practically begged him for years to join the football team, but the boy always stayed loyal to his one true love, track and field. He was their fastest sprinter, bringing home medals from all over the states. It was no wonder he was a shoo-in for the captain next year.

„Sometimes, I dream about him taking me out to Breadsticks,“ Amanda kept on rambling, earning a bitter laugh from the fiery Latina, „Our babies would look so adorable, don’t you think?“

„Well, keep on dreaming, then. He could do so much better than your skinny ass,“ Amelia let out an offended gasp, drawing the attention of a few students along with the boy in question.

He waved at them, giving them a beaming dimpled smile. Thanks to his attention being elsewhere, he didn’t notice the stray ball in his way and Matt had to catch him before he faceplanted in front of the whole class. Quinn giggled softly at the sight before hiding it quickly, snarkily remarking to the girls.

„There’s your prince Charming,“ as she and Santana stood up, she looked Andrea up and down with a fake smile, „Too bad you’re more of an evil sister rather than Cinderella.“

With that they left, Santana blowing a teasing kiss to the boys, who caught it jokingly.

 

-|-

 

The track and football teams were changing in the locker rooms after their respective practices, the room being swarmed by the stench of sweat and way too much body spray. Liam was just changing out of his vest when Mike and Matt approached him, still in their jerseys.

„The answer is still no,“ said the younger Hudson with his back still turned to them.

„But why? You would be amazing,“ whined Mike, taking off his jersey and shoulder pads, „We’ve been begging you for months now.“

„Finn and I…“ before he could continue, Matt interrupted him, having heard this excuse a million times.

„You and Finn made a deal that you’ll both stick to your own thing. We know and honestly, we think it’s fucking stupid,“ for someone so quiet, the dark-skinned boy could be quite blunt with his words, „You love football. Maybe not as much as track, but you still love it.“

„We’ve seen you play. You’re so fast, no one would be able to tackle you,“ Mike looked into nothingness, lost in his fantasy, „We would be unstoppable.“

„You all right there, Chang?“ the other two snickered at the glare Mike threw their way, but before he could retort, Coach Tanaka came in with their Spanish teacher in tow.

„Circle up!“ yelled the coach, interrupting any chatter happening in the locker room, “Now Mr Shuester is gonna talk to you. You don‘t listen, you do laps. You mouth off, you do laps. Got it? They‘re all yours, Will.“

„Thanks, Ken. Hey, guys, how you doing?“ asked the Spanish teacher, searching for any familiar faces among the teenagers, “I think I recognise some of you from the Spanish class, but, uh, I‘m here to talk to you about something different. Uh, music.“

An awkward silence spread through the locker room, the jocks staring at the man dumbfounded. He chuckled nervously, not quite meeting any of their eyes.

„Glee club needs guys,“ the boys shared a bewildered look, Mike twirling his finger around his head, mimicking insanity, „I’m going to put the sign-up sheet at the door to the locker room so if anyone wants to sign up, please… Thank you.“

He didn’t rouse any reaction other than scattered mocking chuckles and a few pitiful looks from the football players.

„Dismissed!“ the coach put him out of his misery, making most of the athletes leave the locker room.

„He’s barking at the wrong tree,“ muttered Matt, shaking his head.

„I don’t think so,“ answered Liam, now fully dressed just like his friends, „I’ve seen you dance, guys. Maybe you should join.“

„Yeah, it will be a cold day in hell when I join in with that circus,“ retorted Mike, making them both laugh as they left the locker room.

 

-|-

 

Finn was sitting in Mr Shue‘s office, looking nervously around. Will sat opposite him behind his desk, with his face pulled into a stern yet compassionate grimace.

„You want to tell me how long you‘ve had a drug problem?“ he asked after pushing the brown package of marihuana towards him, making the student’s eyes widen.

„I don‘t even know who the Chronic Lady is!“ Finn tried to defend himself, feeling the cold sweat spring up on his forehead.

What he didn’t know was that this was part of Will’s horrible scheme to get him to join the Glee club somewhat willingly.

„Look, if it were up to me, we wouldn‘t have mandatory biweekly locker checks,“ the school in fact didn’t have those, he was bullshitting his way out of this.

„But I‘ve never seen that, Mr Shue! I swear it isn‘t mine!“ Finn started panicking, searching for some type of solution, “I‘ll pee in the cup. I… I‘ll pee.“

„Look, it wouldn‘t make any difference. Possession is eight-tenth of the law. I‘m pretty sure that much pot is a felony. Yeah,“ the boy put his head in his hands hopelessly while Will continued to barrage him, “You‘ll get kicked out of school. You‘ll lose your football scholarship.“

„Wait, I had a football scholarship? To where?“ seeing him cheering up a bit, the teacher decided to use his last resort.

„You could land in prison, son,“ yeah, he was definitely going to Hell for this one.

At least, he and Terri could be together for eternity.

„Oh, my god. Please don‘t tell my mom. Don‘t tell my brother! He hates doping and weed is kind of like doping, right? Oh, he will kill me!“ whined the older Hudson, already hearing the lecture he’ll get from Liam when he gets home.

„Wait,“ backtracked the teacher, confused all of the sudden, “You have a brother? Since when?“

„Since forever,“ answered Finn as if it was obvious, but not seeing any recognition on his teacher’s face, he explained further, “He‘s in your Spanish class with me. The one I‘m always copying from?“

„Wait, really?“ Will decided to not question it further and returned to the subject at hand, „Look, I see a lot of myself in you, Finn. I know what it‘s like to struggle to make good life choices. And I don‘t want to see you throw away everything you have to offer the world. I just expect more of you, Finn.“

 

…

 

That really got to me when Mr Shue said that. Because every day of my life I expect more out of myself. See, I might look confident and everything, but I really struggle with the same things other kids do, peer pressure, backne.

A much younger version of Finn was standing in front of a wall of pictures. There was one from when Carol decided to take the boys to the local fair. They had so much fun that night, the picture showing him and Liam hugging themselves with their mouths practically glued shut with cotton candy. Others were of him riding his bike or his twin sporting a toothless smile with a small puppy in his arms. Among many portraits of President Bush, there was one of their late father in his service uniform.

I never knew my dad. He died in Iraq when we were fighting Osama bin Laden for the first time.

Flash forward, Finn was banging onto his drum set, overdoing it with the cymbals while Liam tried to tune his guitar properly. Behind them was Carol, pacing around the kitchen as she argued with whoever was on the other end of the phone, but she couldn’t hear anything because of the noise.

„Hold on. Hold on. Finn!“ she tried to gain her son‘s attention, but failed to do so, “Finn! Please, I‘m on the phone!“

He stopped when he saw how stressed his mom was, glancing at his brother with a question swimming in his eyes. Liam just shrugged and they both stared at their mother helplessly, not knowing how they could lessen her load.

„I just want to trade next Saturday‘s shift for this Saturday. The boys have parent‘s night for the Cub Scouts.“

In our family, we‘re real close, but being a single parent can be hard. The only good time for mom was when we splurged a little bit and ordered Emerald Dreams. Darren was good to her and he was cool about letting us hang out.

A red-haired man in a green uniform was spraypainting the lawn in front of their house, the two small boys trying to help him as much as they could. The iconic Journey song Lovin‘, Touchin‘, Squeezin‘ was playing from the car‘s speakers. Liam, being the smaller of the two, was dancing around with the hose, getting paint all over his shirt, but he was having the time of his life. Carol couldn’t help but laugh at his antics, wistfully glancing at Finn standing beside Daren, copying his every move and singing the words with him.

That was the first time I really heard music. Man, it set my soul on fire.

„You got a voice, buddy. And that little guy? He can move,“ praised Darren, chuckling when Liam started sliding backwards, leaving green footprints on the road, “Seriously, if I had talent like that, my band would still be together. Stick with it!“

My mom took it real hard when Darren left her for that girl he met at Pick´N´Save. It was at that moment I decided to do whatever to make my mom proud of me, make her feel all sacrifice was worth it.

 

…

 

„We have two options here,“ Mr Shue brought him out of his reminiscing, “I‘m running detention now, so you can do six weeks after school. But that‘s gonna remain on your permanent record.“

„What‘s the other option, Mr Shue?“ the teacher smirked, making Finn shift uncomfortably in his seat.

„Have you heard of the Glee club?“

 

-|-

 

Finn was Liam‘s ride to work today since their mom had to do a quick grocery run, but he couldn’t find him anywhere in school. When he passed by the auditorium, he heard the piano and a very familiar voice. He peeked inside, his jaw falling at the sight of Finn on stage with the rest of the Glee club, singing the male lead in You’re the one I want from Grease.

Rachel threw away her papers and began advancing toward oblivious Finn, disturbing anyone else as she went. She even pushed Artie to the side, almost pushing him off the stage. But thankfully, Liam was there to catch him when he walked closer to see if it was reality or just some exhaustion-induced hallucination.

„You okay, buddy?“ he asked him, handing him the glasses that fell off Artie’s nose.

„Yeah. Thanks for the safe. I‘m Artie, the resident cripple of McKinley High,“ the boy’s reply was bitter and he wouldn’t meet Liam’s eye, but the jock still chuckled, patting his shoulder. 

„You seem cool to me, Artie. I‘m Liam Hudson, that oaf’s younger brother,“ he pointed to Finn, who just looked absolutely out of place among the arguing theatre kids.

„I know,“ while they continued chatting, the rest of the club got back to rehearsing, too busy to notice their missing member quietly chuckling with the school’s track star over a Star Wars joke.

 

-|-

 

The garage was empty, with it being almost closing time, safe for one worker, who had his upper body under the car he was working on. The volume on the radio was turned up, the classic rock anthem booming through the room, masking the approaching steps.

 

You show us everything you’ve got

Baby, baby that’s quite a lot

You drive us wild, we’ll drive you crazy

You keep on shoutin‘, you keep on shoutin‘

 

Burt Hummel, the owner of the garage, chuckled when he came closer to the two-post lift, already knowing who was underneath it just by choice of music. He glanced over the gutted car parts on the table, humming in satisfaction at how clean they were, not showing any sign of rust they had before.

 

I wanna rock and roll all night and party every day

I wanna rock and roll all night and party every day

 

„You know, I don’t think the cars appreciate enough just who is taking care of them,“ he interrupted the singer, chuckling when the body jumped underneath the vehicle, followed by a dull thud.

Groaning, Liam rolled back, rubbing his head with a grimace. When he looked up and was met with the sight of his boss, smiling at him in amusement, he blushed in embarrassment, standing up and wiping his oily hands on the already-stained white shirt.

„Mr Hummel, I’m so sorry. It won’t happen again,“ he apologized sincerely, frowning when Burt just laughed and waved him off.

„Don’t be. Everyone needs to have a little fun on the job, huh?“ the older man patted his shoulder, not caring about how dirty it was, „And didn’t I tell you to call me Burt? Mr Hummel was my father, God rest his soul.“

„Okay. Was there anything you needed, Mr… Burt,“ Liam smiled sheepishly, using a nearby rag to clean off his forehead.

„Just wanted to see how is our newest reinforcement settling in. The guys showed you around?“ they both leaned against the table, crossing their arms across their chests in unison.

„Yeah, they were really nice. Though, Bill said something about an entry test,“ Liam reached for the bottle of water he had lying around, taking a big sip from it.

„He was just messing with you,“ Burt calmed down his worries, shaking his head at his friend’s antics, „How’s the car?“

„Oh, I’m just about finishing up for the night. I just need to tighten…“

„I don’t care about that piece of crap. How is she doing?“ Burt nodded toward the end of the room where stood a long car covered by a sheet.

„Wonderfully, sir. I already wrote down the list of parts we’ll need to buy...“ the runner caught himself, flushing when he realized he was speaking to as he handed Burt the paper, „That is if it isn’t too much trouble.“

„Hey, we made a deal. If you can fix her up, she’s all yours to keep,“ the older man scanned the list, murmuring as he went, „Yeah, most of it we have right here. We’ll need to order some of these like the pistons and maybe scour the second-hand shops for that radiator but it should be no problem.“

„Really? That would be amazing,“ gushed Liam, running a hand through his hair and tussling it further than it was, „She really is a beautiful car.“

„That she is. And I’m glad she has you looking after her,“ Burt sent him a fond smile before turning on his heel, about to leave, „You’re a good kid, Liam. Don’t you forget that.“

 

-|-

 

The school athletic clubs of McKinley High were as usual training on the same field, mingling together. While the track team secluded itself on the tartan, ready to practice fast starts, the football team was messing around, waiting for their coach to finish arguing with Finn.

„You‘re the quarterback!“ Ken Tanaka was red-faced from all the shouting he had to do in the last ten minutes, “You were too busy singing around to even notice that we are missing a running back!“

„We… we are? Coach, the Glee club is temporary, I swear,“ the taller guy tried to find an excuse for his absence at the field, but the coach was having none of it.

„No! I don‘t want to hear it! You make a decision, either you‘re a football player or you‘re a singer!“ the giant walked off with his tail between his legs while the coach stood there fuming, figuring out his running back situation.

Suddenly, an idea hit him and he whirled around toward where the track and field team was setting up starting blocks. His target was stretching a few feet away, talking with the taller coach about something that looked important. Ken groaned, walking around in a circle as he thought this over before finally deciding to act.

He marched across the field, pushing some of his players out of the way. Leo noticed him before the runner did, nodding his head toward him and making Liam turn around to see.

The younger Hudson straightened up, expectantly waiting for Ken to stop beside them, huffing from the exertion of walking across the whole field. Once Coach Tanaka caught his breath, he smiled at two sweetly, his eyes pleading.

„Hudson, I have a little proposition for you,“ his hopes were crushed when the student sighed, rejection already falling from his lips.

„Coach, you know that I can’t. Finn…“ he couldn’t finish because Ken stepped in quickly, holding up his hand.

„I’ll handle Finn and his tantrum. We need you. Now more than ever,“ under the pressure, Liam started to break, actually considering the idea.

„How would I manage both practices? They’re at the same time,“ he gestured to the field, avoiding Coach Tanaka’s eyes as the man smiled widely.

„You could train with the football team for the first hour and come back to the track for the rest,“ jumped in Coach Sanchez, frowning as he thought it over, „It would be an added load, sure, but I think you could handle it.“

„Seriously, coach, you too?“ Liam looked at him indecorously, to which Leo only shrugged unapologetically.

„Diversity would be good for you. It would make you stronger, faster,“ the Latino man then smirked, elbowing his star runner gently, „You could maybe even break the school’s record.“

At the mention of his goal, Liam chewed on his lip as he contemplated the idea. Sure, Finn would blow up a fuse and would probably make this all about him, but Liam really wanted to beat that record. Maybe it was time to take something for himself.

„Okay. Fine, I’m in,“ agreed the jock, smiling when Ken’s whole face lit up with excitement.

„Really? Oh, you’re not gonna regret this,“ the man began to walk away giddily, shouting over his shoulder, „I’ll make you a star, Little Hudson. Mark my words.“

The coach and his pupil shared an exasperated look, chuckling when they noticed the two-thirds of Triple Trouble celebrating on the edge of the field, sure they were eavesdropping the whole time.

„You think this is hard? I’m living with hepatitis. That’s hard.“

 

-|-

 

Now dressed in the infamous letterman jacket, Liam left the locker room, only to enter the chaos of high school hallways. Next to the big M on his chest now sat two white patches, a running shoe with a wind behind it and a football. People stared at him with awe as he walked down the hall, spreading for him like the Red Sea. He puffed out his chest proudly, his smile widening when he saw his three favourite cheerleaders walking his way.

„Well, lookie here. New addition to the football team?“ teased Santana, hugging him shortly before moving aside so Brittany could too.

„Yeah, Coach Tanaka asked me during the practice. Had the patch ready and everything,“ he flashed a bright grin to Quinn over Britt’s shoulder and even though she fought it, she sent him one back.

„No wonder, he was after you since the beginning of the last year,“ remarked the head Cheerio, scanning the halls for the brother they were originally looking for.

„Your jacket looks really pretty now,“ Brittany complimented him dreamily, tugging on his lapels, „It wasn’t happy with just one patch.“

„Right? That’s what I thought too,“ Liam played along, wrapping his arms around Santana and Britt’s shoulders as they continued strolling through the parting crowds.

„We might actually win this time. I‘ll be cheering you on for the next game,“ said Quinn in a joking manner, the tension between them lifting momentarily as the smile reached her eyes.

„Quinn Fabray herself cheering me on? The head of the Celibacy club? Now that I must see,“ the girl in question giggled, firing back with a snark.

„You better watch the ball. We wouldn’t want you getting any dumber,“ the newly-appointed football player gasped in a feinted offence, holding his wounded chest.

„You just don’t want anything happening to my handsome face,“ he teased her cheekily, enjoying how her cheeks grew slightly more rosy.

The teasing brought them back to the time before the summer, making Santana and Britt share an amused look.

„You wish. Your job is scoring touchdowns, not checking out the cheerleaders,“ she chastised him playfully, slapping his chest lightly.

„I’ll score one just for you,“ promised Liam and it was a little too sincere to be considered just friendly banter.

Green met green and the world fell away, leaving just them in the middle of the universe. The blonde blushed, hiding her face behind her hair while Liam cleared out his throat, swallowing all of the building feelings in his chest. They tried to act as if nothing had happened, but the knowing glances Britt and Santana shared told otherwise.

„There’s your boyfriend, Q. And it looks like he‘s making interesting friends,“ the Latina broke them from their stupor, making Quinn’s head snap to the side with a scowl.

They walked toward the pair beside the lockers, Liam’s arms remaining around the girls‘ shoulders.

„Hi, Finn. RuPaul,“ the head cheerleader’s bitchy persona was back in full force.

„Hey,“ Finn replied casually, not registering his girlfriend’s current mood.

Liam winced at that, sharing a wide-eyed look with Santana and mouthing Strike one.

„What are you doing talking to her?“ she asked him accusingly, pointing to Rachel beside him with disgust all over her face.

„Science project. We‘re partners,“ the way Rachel was looking up at the quarterback, you would think that he has sun coming out of his ass.

It was unnerving.

„Christ Crusaders tonight at five, my house,“ Quinn smiled at him sweetly before glaring at the diva and walking away.

The younger Hudson loosened his hold on the girls‘ shoulders as they followed her, waving him goodbye.

„Sounds great,“ replied Finn, turning his attention to the girl in front of him.

„Look, I… I should go. I can‘t do Glee anymore. It conflicts with…“ he sighed when Rachel interrupted him and Liam had a hunch that was a common occurrence.

He leaned on the opposite lockers, deciding to wait for Finn. He pulled out a Snickers bar from his pocket, munching on it as he listened in on the conversation.

„Your reputation? You‘ve really got something, Finn, and you‘re throwing it away,“ Rachel tried convincing him one last time, but her hopeful expression fell when he just sighed dejectedly.

„I‘m… I‘m going to be late,“ he glanced at his brother for help, who simply grinned and shook his head like the little shit he was.

„You can’t keep worrying about what people think. You’re better than all of them.”

“Hey!” the younger brother protested, ignoring the glare Rachel sent his way, ”No need to boast his ego. It’s already bigger than Texas.”

The girl just scoffed and walked away, stealing glances at the giant. Finn turned to his twin, but before he could talk, something else caught his eye. He took him by the arm and dragged him to a more secluded place, shushing his confused questions.

“Is that football patch?” he whisper-yelled when they stopped, whirling at him with a snarl, ”You can’t join the team. That’s my thing!”

Liam rolled his eyes at the reasoning, quickly being fed up with the deal because it felt like he always got the short end.

“Grow up, Finn. This school is big enough for the both of us,” he growled out, meeting Finn’s heated stare with his own.

“We made a deal,” the older twin gritted his teeth, stepping closer to intimidate him.

“Well, you broke it first,” Liam pushed him away from him aggressively, his face pulled into an angry grimace.

“Are you still going on about this? How was I supposed to know about your stupid crush?” Finn threw up his hands in the air in despair.

“I told you about it!” the younger Hudson now raised his voice, attracting the attention of some of the students, who quickly scurried away from the fight, “And then you go and ask her out!”

“Well, I guess, she liked me better in the end,” boasted the quarterback mockingly, “Deal with it.”

“Wow, Finn. Just wow,” Liam shook his head in disbelief, walking backwards from his fuming brother, “I didn’t think you would stoop this low.”

“Hey, don’t walk away when I’m talking! I wasn’t done with you!” called out the older twin after him, making him stop in his tracks.

“But I was,” he then turned away, not sparing his brother a single glance, “Don’t worry, Finn. You’re better than all of them.”

 

-|-

 

Liam was just putting away the last of the hurdles that they left on the field when he heard the music coming from the auditorium. Curiosity taking over, he slowly walked toward the room, leaning on the door for support once he got there.

The sight made him want to laugh and cry at the same time. His giant of a brother was dressed in a bright red shirt, just like the rest of the New Directions. The jazz band played a familiar tune behind them and despite himself, Liam couldn’t help but bob his head to the beat.

 

[Finn]

Just a small-town girl

Living in a lonely world

She took the midnight train

Going anywhere

 

Rachel joined Finn at the front of the stage, tapping her leg to the rhythm. Liam felt a presence beside him so he turned to see, who it was, blinking in surprise once he saw Puck watching the performance. The jocks shared a nod but didn’t say anything.

 

[Rachel]

Just a city boy

Born and raised in South Detroit

He took the midnight train

Going anywhere

 

The pair on the stage reached for each other as the song picked up, Artie absolutely killing his guitar solo.

 

[Finn]

A singer in a smoky room

[Rachel]

A smell of wine and cheap perfume

[Both]

For a smile they can share the night

It goes on and on and on and on

 

Finn enveloped Rachel in an embrace, spinning them around, unaware of the eyes watching them. Liam however felt a stare burning at the top of his head, so he looked up, searching for the source.

 

[Both]

Strangers waiting

Up and down the boulevard

Their shadows searching

In the night

 

Streetlight people

Living just to find emotion

Hiding somewhere

In the night…

 

He locked his eyes with the brilliant green of Quinn’s, whose gaze surprisingly didn’t waver even when Finn began dancing with Rachel rather intimately. This time, it was Liam, who broke the moment, feeling the lump build up in his throat.

 

[Rachel]

Working hard to get my fill

Everybody wants a thrill

[Both]

Playing anything to roll the dice

Just one more time

 

Swallowing harshly, the younger Hudson brushed past Puck as he fled from the auditorium, the music following him out.

 

[Rachel]

Some will win

[Both]

Some will lose

Some were born to sing the blues

And now the movie never ends

It goes on and on and on and on…

 

[New Directions]

Don ‘t stop believin ‘

Hold on to that feeling

Streetlight people

 

[New Directions]

Don ‘t stop believin ‘

Hold on to that feeling

Streetlight people

Don ’t stop.

Chapter 2: Showmance

“No, no, no! Not the shells!” the Triple Trouble were currently sitting in Liam’s bedroom, the curtains drawn and the TV lit up with Mario Kart.

Mike burst out laughing when Matt was, for the hundredth time that evening, shot off the track. The dark-skinned boy just grumbled something about meanies, but he couldn’t help to smile at the sight of his best friends almost collapsing on each other, taking a piss out of him.

“Don’t be such a baby!” teased Liam, punching his shoulder playfully.

After a while, they calmed down, continuing in their annual video game marathon.

“Liam, why couldn’t you come on Friday again? Mom was really excited to see you both,” asked Mike, not taking his eyes off the screen.

“You’re not trying to get out of game night, are you?” joked Matt, but his jovial tone was laced with insecurity.

These were his only true friends and he loved their Friday hangouts, he never wanted them to change. They usually did this after the last practice of the week, switching between their houses every so often. But thanks to Finn’s atrocious lying, they had to push it back a few days.

The Hudson boy pushed the black-rimmed glasses further up the bridge of his nose, rubbing his bloodshot eyes as he did so. He preferred to wear contacts instead of his glasses, but sometimes his eyes needed a break too. God knows he gave them what for, being the chronic insomniac he was.

“Finn told Puck something about our mom needing prostate surgery and he needed me to stay home to keep the cover,” Matt choked on the gulp of soda he had just taken, struggling to clear his airways.

“P…prostate? Women don’t have a prostate,” he stated the obvious, his voice scratchy from the coughing fit.

“Don’t ask me. I know nothing about what’s going on in my brother’s head,” shrugged the younger Hudson before teasingly elbowing Mike, who was far too silent for their liking, “And it’s not like our friend here didn’t appreciate the extra time he had with Britt Britt.”

“Har, har, very funny, Mr I’m-in-love-with-my-brother’s-girlfriend,” the Asian boy let out a sarcastic laugh, cracking up when he noticed how Liam’s ears reddened at the mention of the blonde cheerleader.

“Am not,” he insisted stubbornly, pouting like a small child, whose mom refused to buy him ice cream.

“Are too,” snickered Matt, both of the boys completely forgetting the game in favour of teasing their best friend, “Otherwise you would be looking for your one and only. God knows enough girls are chasing you around the school.”

This whole time Joy has been lying on the bed behind them, contently chewing on her plushie without a single care in the world. That was until her asshole of an owner decided to pick her up and suffocate her against his chest.

“This is my best girl, the only one I’ll ever need,” the dog wriggled in his strong arms, but when she realized there was no way out, she just huffed and decided to soak up the attention.

Meanwhile, his friends rolled their eyes at the excuse, having heard it a million times before. Every time they would breach the subject, Liam would just panic and divert the conversation elsewhere.

“Don’t you get it, Matt? They’re just friends,” mocked Mike, batting his eyelashes at the running back.

“So were Pam and Jim and we all know how that worked out,” Matt snarked out, once again proving how truly nerdy the three jocks were.

“Oh, you two are hilarious,” deadpanned Liam, taking hold of the controller once again, Joy still in his lap, snoring softly in content, “Why don’t we focus on the game before I kick your ass again?”

If only the boys knew what truly happened between them at the end of summer. Sure, they were both plastered and Quinn was feeling insecure about her body image, but that didn’t change the magic of the moment for Liam. If only he wasn’t the only one who thought so.

 

-|-

 

It was Sunday morning, which meant that crowds of families gathered in front of the church, waiting to be let in for the mass. Among them were the Fabrays, one of the most influential families in the whole town if not the state.

Russel was standing with his arm wrapped around Judy’s waist, chatting with a coworker about the stocks rising that morning. Quinn was standing a few feet away, playing with her purity ring in boredom. That was until a bright red Subaru Outback parked beside the pavement, gaining the attention of the blondes.

Liam, dressed in a simple blue dress shirt and grey slacks, jumped out of the driver’s side, hurrying to open the passenger door. Out stepped an elderly woman with a wide smile and dimples that matched her grandson’s. She patted Liam’s cheek in appreciation, making him blush and offer her an arm.

They walked deeper into the gathering, greeting their neighbours as they passed them. Few of them asked the younger Hudson about school and how was his mom, but most kept to their own conversations.

“Ah, what a pleasure to see you, Mrs Hudson,” called out Russel gregariously, shaking her hand, when the pair stopped in front of them.

“How are you, Elizabeth?” asked Judy after leaning down to kiss her cheeks.

“I’m all right. Mostly been tending to my garden, nowadays,” she smiled fondly at the taller boy on her side, fixing his collar for him, “If it wasn’t for Liam picking me up every Sunday, I would never get out of the house.”

“Ah, yes, the newest running back of the McKinley Titans. Congratulations, son,” Mr Farbray slapped his back a little too roughly, barking out a laugh.

“Thank you, sir. To be honest, I wasn’t sure I would join,” admitted the jock bashfully, meeting Mrs Fabray’s kind and understanding eyes.

“Nonsense! You know, I once was a quarterback myself,” Russel took him by the shoulders, leaning in closer with a wink, “The girls went crazy the moment I put my letterman on.”

“Dad, please, he doesn’t want to hear all about your glory days,” complained Quinn, stepping in to rescue the flustered boy.

The two teenagers shared a guilty glance before quickly looking away, both of their faces slightly warmer than before. This didn’t escape the attentive eyes of the older women, Judy humming curiously while Elizabeth cheekily elbowed her youngest grandson.

“Right. Right,” nodded Mr Fabray, not noticing the interaction, too wrapped up in his reminiscing, “You know, you should stop by, Liam. I would love to hear more about your future. Such a young talent like yourself needs to be tended to.”

“I certainly will, Mr Fabray,” Liam suppressed a laugh when Quinn rolled her eyes behind her father’s back, causing her to giggle slightly.

“Please, call me Russel,” the older man’s gaze drifted toward the church, where the pastor just stepped out of the huge double door, “Oh, looks like we can go in. Shall we, ladies?”

Elizabeth and Judy both took the man’s offered arms, chatting together while being guided inside. Quinn sided to Liam, bumping her hip with his playfully, smirking at him from under her lashes.

“You already have my dad wrapped around your little finger, don’t you?” she teased, a tense smile tugging at the edges of her lips when he chuckled.

“No, I don’t think so. It takes a lot of work to get approval from a man like Russel,” he admitted, rubbing the back of his neck uncomfortably.

“But you’re already on the right track,” the blonde blew the air from her cheeks, surprising Liam with her unlady-like behaviour, “Sometimes I wish Finn was more like you.”

The younger Hudson was so stunned by the admission that he had to loosen his collar to swallow around the uncomfortable lump that formed in his throat. Before Quinn could disappear inside the church, he caught her arm, stopping her in her tracks.

The blonde cheerleader jumped at the sudden contact, ripping her arm away as if the simple touch burned her.

“Look, Quinn. I’m really sorry for what happened that night. It wasn’t my intention when I approached you on that porch, I swear…I just…I’m sorry,” at a loss for words that would justify that night, he hung his head low in shame.

“I know what you mean. And I should apologize too,” she squeezed his hand tenderly, smiling slightly when his eyes met hers, “We’re both to blame for what happened that night.”

“I just… don’t want to lose you as a friend. This weird tension between us is killing me,” pouted the younger Hudson, unknowingly melting a certain cheerleader’s heart.

“Me too,” with a sharp intake of breath, Quinn nodded resolutely, brushing the hair out of her face, “Let’s put it all behind us then. It didn’t really matter, right?”

The soft chuckle she let out felt like a punch to Liam’s gut, cracks spreading across his heart like spiderwebs. Sure, he didn’t want to risk their relationship over a night they spent together in a more than tipsy state, but it still meant something to him. It meant more than he was willing to admit.

“Y…yeah, sure,” he cleared his throat out, his gaze flitting anywhere but her face, “We should head inside. I think they’re about to start.”

With that they joined the mass, sitting a few benches from each other. While Quinn listened to the priest with rapt attention, her pink plush lips mouthing the words, the Hudson boy couldn’t take his eyes off her with a sad melancholy smile.

 

-|-

 

Liam was leaning on his locker, discreetly keeping an eye on the argument happening a few paces away from him. He wasn’t eavesdropping, no, that was what Rachel was doing, quite obviously might he add. Besides, the fighting couple was loud enough for anyone to hear, you wouldn’t need to be a Superman.

“We are in line to be the most popular kids in the school over the next few years. Prom king and queen. Homecoming court royalty,” Quinn tried to get her point across to Finn, who just sighed and kept packing his backpack, “I am not giving up those shiny crowns just so you can express yourself.”

“Look, you’re making too big a deal out of this,” retorted the football player, getting fed up with his girlfriend’s meddling.

“Okay, let’s compromise. If you quit the club, I’ll let you touch my breast,” offered the blonde and a dopey smile spread across Finn’s face.

“Under the shirt?” Liam shook his head at what he told himself was his brother’s weak-mindedness, but deep down he wasn’t so sure.

“Over the bra,” the giant deflated a little at that, stuttering out rejection after a bit of thought.

“No. No, I can’t. I want to do Glee. I’m really happy when I’m performing,” the younger brother scoffed at that.

Who wouldn’t be when you were just handed the male lead? I mean there are three very talented boys in there and his brother is the only one doing the singing. Mr Shue was overlooking some talent right there.

“People think you’re gay now, Finn. And you know what that makes me? Your big. Gay. Beard,” she punctured every word to show her aggravation with his stubbornness, but Finn just ignored it.

“Look, I gotta go to class, okay? Just relax. Everything’s gonna work out,” he walked away, leaving behind a fuming cheerleader.

She looked around, searching for a target to let her anger out on. Unfortunately, Rachel was a little too convenient and too close to the problem at hand to be spared.

“Eavesdrop much? Time for some girl talk, man hands,” she stepped closer to diva with a scathing glare, sneering as she said, “You can dance with him, you can sing with him, but you’ll never have him.”

“I understand why you’d be threatened,” replied Rachel confidently, “Finn and I have made a connection, but I’m an honourable person. I don’t need to steal your man. I have plenty of suitors of my own.”

Quinn couldn’t believe how delusional this girl was.

“Every day Glee club’s status is going up and yours is going down. Deal with it,” as she went to turn away a splash of cold slushy hit her in the face, giving her the literal cold shower of reality.

Puck laughed as he passed them by, high-fiving one of his teammates. Quinn followed in his steps, turning away from Rachel and marching down the corridor, but not before she sent a shy smile Liam’s way.

As the running back was about to follow her, he bumped into a small frame, almost toppling the girl over. He caught her by her waist and pulled her to his chest to make sure that she wouldn’t fall.

“Wow,” breathed out the cheerleader, patting his shoulder, “Thanks for the save.”

Liam tried to remember if he had seen her here before, but he was coming up blank. He was sure that he would recognize her flaming red mane and her sparkling blue eyes so she must have been new. Still, he shot her a charming smile as he pulled away, not to mention the blush that settled over her cheeks.

“No problem, it was kind of my fault,” he shrugged, rubbing the back of his neck as she chuckled at his embarrassment, “Are you new here?”

“What gave it away?” she tilted her head to the side, the light hitting her freckled face just right, “The big doe eyes or the complete confusion?”

“Neither. I just haven’t seen you before and I would certainly remember someone like you,” Liam cringed the moment the words left his mouth, groaning as he closed his eyes, “That came out wrong. Now, I sound like a serial killer.”

“You’re fine. Who knows, maybe I’m into serial killers,” their breathy laugh was interrupted by the bell ringing overhead, making them flinch, “And that’s my cue.”

The stranger turned on her heel and began strutting down the emptying hallway, throwing one last look over her shoulder at the stunned athlete before disappearing into a classroom.

 

-|-

 

Thanks to an unexpected rain storm the football practice was cut short, giving the players much-appreciated free time to do whatever they wanted. The Triple Trouble exited the school into the downpour, shouldering their gym bags and discussing their plans for tomorrow.

“We should bring the girls too. It’s been a while since we’ve all hung out,” Matt suggested, searching his pockets for his car keys.

“Oooh, we should go bowling,” offered Mike as he pushed his sopping-wet hair off his forehead.

“Why? You hate it,” they finally reached Matt’s car, the dark-skinned footballer opened the driver's door as he sent his best friend a weird look.

“It’s the only sport Liam sucks at. I want to win for a once,” shrugged Mike, getting inside to hide away from the rain, “What do you say, Liam? Liam?”

“What the hell is that?” breathed out the athlete, gesturing toward a lone car on the other side of the parking lot.

In it, Ms Pillsbury, their guidance counsellor, sat wailing with mascara running down her face as All By Myself boomed through the closed door. Liam patted the roof of the car and leaned down with an apologetic smile on his face.

“You guys go ahead and drive home. I’ll go check up on her, it seems like she could use the company,” the trio winced when they heard a particularly loud sob escape the distressed woman.

“You sure?” asked Matt, leaning over the centre console to get a better look at the younger Hudson.

“Yeah, text me when you decide which game you want to lose tomorrow at,” he teased them as he slowly jogged backwards, bursting into a laugh at their complaining.

He reached the car in a few short strides, the counsellor not even noticing his approach. That was until he knocked on the passenger's side window, making her jump in fright, expecting everyone to have left already. He sent her a small wave before nodding to the door.

“Uh, Mr Hudson,” she tried to make herself presentable as she opened it, Liam hurriedly getting in, his wet hair sticking to his forehead, “I apologize if you need advice, but at the moment, I’m quite unavailable. We could schedule an appointment for tomorrow if you’d like.”

“No, I’m not here for that,” he chuckled under his breath, water dripping down his cheeks.

“Then what do you need?” squeaked out Emma, practically crushing the handkerchief in her palm.

“I wanted to ask if you were doing okay. You seemed to be having a rough time,” he pointed at the blackened streaks on her face and her puffy red eyes, “Is everything all right?”

Ms Pillsbury’s lower lip wobbled and her eyes once again welled up with tears. Before Liam could react, she threw herself into his arms, her choked sobs muffled by his chest. With a stunned expression on his face, he awkwardly patted her back and just let her get it all out.

 

-|-

 

The Celibacy Club meeting went by as usual. Liam spent a better part of it building and throwing paper planes into Mike’s floppy hair that had so much hairspray in it that it should be considered a fire hazard.

“Will you stop that?” seethed Mike as he whirled around, tired of trying to deflect them for the better part of an hour.

His two best friends shared an amused smile before shaking their heads and answering in unison.

“Nope,” they burst out laughing at his annoyed huff and continued in their antics, relatively peaceful until Jacob Ben Israel decided to open his big mouth.

“I think I’m gonna kill myself,” when the jocks just scoffed, he continued, “I’m serious. We’re bombarded with sexual imagery every day. Beer ads, those short skirts. I’m supposed to be surrounded by temptation and not be able to do anything about it?”

With a groan, Liam stood up from his seat, his friends following him. He snatched Finn’s football midair while on his way to Jacob, making his older brother whine like a toddler.

“That’s why you have a left hand. Use it,” he ruffled Jacob’s afro before slapping his forehead lightly, making sure the spectacled boy was paying attention,” And if by some miracle you manage to ask a girl out and she agrees, learn about the word consent beforehand.”

Jacob blinked owlishly at the athlete, making him shake his head and walk toward the door, only for Puck to utter one last disgusting comment.

“Are you kidding?” huffed the bad boy, “Those skirts are crunchy toast. Santana Lopez bent in hers the other day, and I swear I could see her ovaries.”

That was all he managed to get out before a football came flying to his face, the culprit disappearing down the hallway along with his snickering friends. It was time to meet up with the girls.

 

-|-

 

Both parts of the Celibacy Club were now gathered in the same room with the new addition of Rachel Berry. The girl stood awkwardly on the side while the popular kids began to pair off for the next part. Well, everyone but Liam, who was too busy goading Matt into electrocuting Mike’s hair with the balloon Quinn gave him.

“Just so you know, you’re really annoying today,” Mike slapped away their hands, but he couldn’t help but join in their snickers.

They eventually calmed down, just in time for the Head Cheerio to approach them with a soft smile.

“Hey, boys,” she giggled at Mike’s hair that was floating a few inches above his scalp, “Trying a new haircut there, Chang? You’ll have to show me how to style it later.”

Confused, the Asian boy glanced up, only to groan once he saw the standing hair. He whirled around at his friends, who stood behind him innocently with hands behind their backs. Mike huffed, mumbling some horrible insults before he stomped away. Matt followed him, trying to apologize, but failing miserably when he couldn’t hide his laughter.

“You needed something, Quinn?” Liam gave her a dimpled smile, making the tops of her cheeks darken slightly.

“Yeah, actually. Could you pair up with Santana today?” she pointed to the Latino cheerleader leaning on the table, filing her nails with a vicious glare aimed in Puck’s direction, “She heard some of Puck’s bullshit and I don’t feel like reporting a homicide right now.”

“You could always cover for her,” offered the Hudson, earning himself a genuine laugh from the girl, “I would definitely back up your side of the story.”

“That’s a generous offer, one I might use someday, but for now, I think I’ll pass,” she held up a balloon with a hopeful pout, “So will you? Please?”

“Yeah, I’ll do it,” Liam snatched the item maybe a bit too fast, their hands brushing together, “But you owe me a coffee, Fabray.”

He didn’t let her respond, already strutting toward Santana, whose face lit up when she saw him push past Fuckerman.

“Sad news, buddy. You’re out today,” he patted his back with a feint apologetic grimace, ignoring his complaints as he took the Latino by hand, “And you, hermosa, are with me.”

“Gracias a Dios, I was about to castrate him,” the pair chuckled as Liam wrapped his arm around her shoulders, both of their attention stolen away by Quinn.

“Let’s pair up for the Immaculate Affection,” she let her eyes fly over the room, inspecting their faces with a serious look, “Now remember, if the balloon pops, the noise makes the angels cry.”

She put the balloon between her and Finn’s pelvises and started swaying from side to side to the music they had playing in the background. On the other side of the room, Rachel tried to keep Jacob as far away as possible from her body, but the boy wasn’t easily deterred. If not anything else, he was one stubborn bastard.

“You enchant me,” he whispered to her, leaning closer for a kiss.

Laim and Santana shared a grimace before almost falling over themselves in laughter at the awkward interaction. When they calmed down, Santana scanned her eyes over the room, narrowing them at something over Liam’s shoulder.

“So, is there a reason that redheaded bimbo keeps glancing here?” she sneered, raising an eyebrow at how fast her best friend whirled around.

The pair smiled at each other across the room, both of them turning to their dance partners blushing.

“I…uh, sort of bumped into her in the hallway,” the younger Hudson avoided Santana’s inquisitive stare, instead choosing to look at the ceiling.

“She’s nice, you know?” she smirked when his head shot down, but decided not to mention it, “Definitely smarter than the rest of the freshmen.”

“She’s a freshman?” Liam once again glanced in the redhead’s direction, gulping nervously when he saw her pushing the football player she was with away, “Do you know her name?”

“Sure, but tell me one thing,” Santana grasped Liam’s jaw and forcefully made him face her, her expression suddenly serious, “Are you over Quinn?”

Liam went to reply, but she fixed him with a glare so fierce it would make even the most battle-hardened men falter.

“I don’t know. No?” the boy groaned, rubbing a hand over his face, “I’m getting there.”

“Fine, but be careful,” she warned him with a softer tone, patting his cheek and letting his chin go, “Her name is Maddy.”

“Maddy,” Liam tested it on his tongue, but before he could ask more a loud pop rang out through the room.

Everyone looked at the “it” couple, some amused while some just simply shocked.

“Finn!” the boy in question had the decency to at least look embarrassed as he shuffled on his feet, not meeting Quinn’s wide eyes.

“It must have hit my zipper,” the quarterback tried to explain, the badly stifled laughter coming from his brother not helping in the situation.

“You know what? This is a joke!” exclaimed Rachel, breaking away from the uncomfortable embrace with JBI, “Did you know that most studies have demonstrated that celibacy doesn’t work in high school? Our hormones are driving us too crazy to abstain.”

She pointed to the hugging Latina and Hudson boy as if to prove her point, but only ended up with multiple glares aimed in her direction. Rachel sheepishly put down her hand, not meeting any of their stares.

“Zorra,” sneered Santana, trying to charge at the annoying diva only for Liam to tighten his hold on her.

“Calm down, hermosa.”

“The second we start telling ourselves that there’s no room for compromise, we act out. The only way to deal with teen sexuality is to be prepared,” throughout the whole speech, her gaze not once faltered from Finn, ”That’s what contraception is for.”

“Don’t you dare mention the “C” word!” Quinn’s head whirled around so fast that she might have gotten a whiplash, but that didn’t stop her from lashing out, her eyes practically glowing with venom.

Rachel promptly ignored her, turning her attention to the boys, most of whom had their mouths agape in astonishment.

“You want to know a dirty little secret that none of them wants you to know?” she stopped for a dramatic effect, savouring the tension in the room, “Girls want sex just as much as guys do.”

With that she stormed out of the door in a true Rachel Berry fashion, her hair swishing behind her. A complete silence enveloped the teenagers, some exchanging bewildered glances at what just transpired until JBI decided to break it.

“Is… is that accurate?” Liam immediately reached over Santana’s shoulder and slapped him on the back of the head, giving him a disapproving glare.

 

-|-

 

“Liam, wait a minute!” the running-back turned on his heel in the middle of the hallway as Maddy caught up with him.

It was entirely empty, most of the students were already inside the gym to attend the Homecoming assembly.

“You needed something?” he tilted his head to the side, his brow furrowing at the nervousness radiating from the girl.

“Y…yeah, I wanted to ask you something,” she wringled her fingers anxiously, feeling almost dwarfed by his broad frame.

But when she looked up, she relaxed immediately. This was Liam, from what she heard the nicest jock in this godforsaken school, a literal golden retriever incarnate. The dimpled smile he gave her only cemented her decision, making her chin jut out proudly as she straightened her spine and took a deep breath.

“I was thinking that we could maybe go to Breadsticks together,” she hinted, hoping that he would piece the rest himself.

“Sure, I’m usually at the garage after school, but I’m free on Friday,” he grinned at her, pointing to the door leading to the gymnasium, “Do you want me to invite the boys too?”

“You’ve gotta be kidding me,” she huffed, rolling her eyes at his obliviousness fondly, “No! I mean as a date, dummy!”

“Oh…oh,” his eyes widened comically and he swallowed nervously, the gears in his head turning a mile a minute.

That wasn’t what he expected this afternoon, but he couldn’t say that he wasn’t flattered. Even a blind person would know that Maddy was an incredibly beautiful and talented girl, so he would be a fool if he hadn’t noticed before. And to be fair, the thought had crossed his mind.

“If you don’t want to, that’s okay. I understand,” she assured him, but her shoulders sagged a little as insecurities began to swim in her ocean-blue eyes.

“NO!” he shouted, making her jump slightly at his volume, “I mean… I would love to go on a date with you.”

They both smiled at each other, their eyes sparkling and cheeks flushed. When Liam heard the squeal of feedback from the gymnasium, he offered Maddy his arm, to which she raised an amused eyebrow but took it anyway with a giggle.

As they strolled into the massive room, the double door closing behind them, they were still blissfully unaware of another person standing in the hallway. Quinn slid down the row of lockers until she hit the ground, pulling her knees to her chest as she tried to suppress the brimming tightness in her chest. Why did it hurt so much when she was the one to suggest this to Maddy in the first place?

 

-|-

 

The Homecoming assembly was supposed to be entertaining, yet the students wanted to be anywhere else than the gym. The football team with Coach Tanaka was sitting on the first few rows of the bleachers, opposite the Cheerios, giving the Unholy Trinity the perfect view of their antics.

While Puck was trying to look as badass as he possibly could with his arms crossed and scowl on his face, the three friends behind him kept poking his mohawk, breaking his tough facade. The last drop was when Liam flicked his ear, making him groan and get up, only to find a seat a few feet away from them.

“God, I can’t believe that’s my best friend,” snickered Santana, shaking her head in disbelief as Brittany giggled beside her.

“Please, you’re lucky to even be near his orbit,” bit back Quinn, her snide tone not lost on them.

The Latino opened her mouth to shoot back, but Principal Figgins chose a perfect time to stroll up on the stage and begin his speech.

“Silence, children, silence. First, an announcement. The toilets are broken again. We are fixing the problem. But let me warn you, there will be zero tolerance for anyone soiling the school grounds. We’re not going to have a repeat of last time,” most of the student body was snoozing by the time he finished and even Liam had to push the usually hyperactive Mike off his shoulder to wake him up, “We have a treat for you guys today. Mr. Shuester.”

The Spanish teacher took the microphone from the monotone principal, scanning them all with a big grin on his face.

“Yay, Glee!” clapped Miss Pillsbury, not deterred by being the only one, “Glee kids, hooray!”

“Uh, hi. When I went to school here, the Glee club ruled this place. And we’re on our way back. But we need some recruits to join the party. Now, I can tell you all about how great Glee is, but I think I’m gonna let some friends of mine show you instead,” he walked to his seat and the curtains were pulled apart to reveal the most horrifying of scenes.

The Glee kids, including Finn, were all dressed in dark blue outfits and standing in very suggestive poses, making Liam think about the benefits of bleaching his own eyes. In the middle of the performance of Push It, Matt, like the true trooper he was, placed a hand in front of Liam’s face to prevent him from permanent damage, but the bit he already saw was enough to feed his nightmares for months to come.

After the end of the monstrosity, the gym was so silent you could hear a pin drop. Until JBI once again stood up and started cheering along with everyone else. Only the Cheerios and the football team sat on the bleachers, sharing disgusted looks with each other, some going as far as retching. Across the room, Liam’s terrified eyes met Quinn’s in a questioning manner, but the cheerleader could only shrug. The raging look on her face said enough though. The Glee club was going down.

 

-|-

 

“That gotta cause some trauma, dude,” mentioned Mike as he and Liam were leaving the school’s dance studio, “’Cause, if I watched my relative do that, I would throw myself into a volcano.”

“Oh, trust me, I was seriously considering doing just that,” replied Liam before cupping his own cheeks with a goofy smile, “But then the world would suffer from not seeing this gorgeous face every day.”

“Whatever you say,” snorted the Asian boy, pushing Liam’s out of his vision.

Just as they were passing by the auditorium, the pair heard a series of piano notes and someone harmonising with them. The two boys shared a bewildered glance before they silently crept toward the entrance, setting down their gym bags by the door.

“Can we take a break?” asked Finn, who was standing by the piano, Rachel sitting on its bench, “Singing kind of makes me hungry.”

“Yeah, sure. Lucky I prepared for that,” the diva gestured toward the blankets spread on stage with several pillows thrown here and there and a picnic basket sitting in the middle.

“Wow, I was wondering what that was all about,” said Finn, awkwardly stuffing his hands into his pockets as he took in the scene that seemed eerily familiar to a date.

“Want to sit?” Liam narrowed his eyes, not liking this one bit.

But then he caught himself and guilt completely enveloped him. He had no right to be upset that Finn would cheat on Quinn, they did it first. He started backing away from the door, shaking his head.

“We should go,” he patted enamoured Mike on the shoulder, earning himself a confused look.

He then turned on his heel and hurried away, his mind swirling a mile a minute. Mike was right behind him, lugging both of their gym bags as he tried to catch up.

“Liam, wait!” his best friend stopped in the middle of the hallway, but didn’t face him.

Instead, he slumped against the lockers and put his head in between his knees. His chest felt tight, his breath coming out in ragged puffs as he pulled at the roots of his hair. Mike immediately knew what was happening, he witnessed Liam have a panic attack once before when his grandad died. So he dropped the bags and rushed to the struggling running back, almost sliding on his knees in his hurry to get to him.

“Hey, buddy, take some deep breaths with me, okay?” he took hold of his head and pulled it up so he could meet Liam’s gaze.

The usually cheerful green eyes were glassy and unfocused, flitting across the empty hallway. Mike swallowed down his own nervousness and tried to remember what Carol taught him in case another attack occurred again.

“Liam, buddy, tell me five things you can see,” Liam looked up at him as if he was crazy, his cheeks reddening from the struggle against his own body.

“W…what?” he gasped for air, clutching his arms to his chest so tightly, they almost shook.

Mike pulled them away gently and held them in his own, repeating what he said patiently.

“Tell me five things you can see,” Liam scanned their surroundings, licking his suddenly dry lips, “Come on, buddy, I know you can do it.”

“Uh, the lockers, our bags,” the athlete groaned and fell back against the cold metal.

“All right, good. Keep on going,” encouraged him Mike, patting his back.

“You, the ceiling,” Liam blinked repeatedly, getting rid of the black dots dancing across his vision, his breathing calming down, “That weird Brainiacs poster.”

Mike followed his finger to the banner in question, which had Albert Einstein shaking hands with the Predator, and chuckled before turning back to his friend. Liam was still red in the face with sweat streaking down the side of his face, but his heartbeat finally stopped thumping in his ears and he could think clearly.

“I slept with Quinn,” he whispered so quietly that Mike had to make sure that he had heard correctly.

“What?” the Hudson opened his eyes, the forest in them more clear than ever, but clouded with so many emotions at the same time.

“Me and Quinn slept together,” he ran his hand through his now sticky hair, “At the end of the summer party.”

Mike sighed like a disappointed parent and took a seat beside him, their bags forgotten in the middle of the hallway.

“You screwed up, bro,” he said with a quiet chuckle in the end, to which Liam nodded his head.

“Tell me about it.”

 

-|-

 

After the incident in the hallway, Mike drove him home and promised that he wouldn’t tell a living soul, not even Matt. The whole night Liam kept on turning in his bed, that fateful night replaying in his mind. When the sun started to rise, he finally gave up and went for an early run.

So this is why he was here so soon, almost an hour before the first bell, with a grumpy frown on his face. His hair looked like a bird’s nest, but he didn’t bother to try and fix it, only hoping to get through the day.

That was before he heard that angelic voice coming from the choir room. He peeked in, leaning on the door frame as he observed the scene. Quinn was, of course, dancing in the middle, flanked by Santana and Brittany from both sides. She was taking the lead, her soft tone ringing through the classroom as her best friends supported her through their rendition of I Say a Little Prayer by Dionna Warwick.

Halfway through the performance, the girls noticed the football player watching them but didn’t falter, only sent him a smile before continuing with their song.

When they were done, Liam, completely enamoured with the way that Quinn’s green eyes seemed to light up when she sang, forgot himself and started clapping. Mr Shue, who didn’t notice him until that moment, turned around with a smile that was a bit too wide.

“Can I help you with something?” he had a vague memory of seeing this kid in the locker room last week, but other than that, he couldn’t place him.

When the usually feisty Latina went to hug him with a grin, soon joined by Brittany, he became even more confused.

“Yes, actually,” smirked Quinn from her place by the piano, giggling at Liam’s confused pout.

“He can?” “I can?” asked the student and the teacher at the same time.

At that moment, Will saw a certain spark in the boy, something that reminded him of someone else. Of course, he almost facepalmed, Finn mentioned that he had a brother.

“Yes, silly,” chirped the head cheerleader, clicking her tongue tauntingly, “You’re auditioning for the Glee Club, of course.”

“Really?” this picked up Mr Shue’s interest, another popular kid would be good for the club.

Liam’s brow furrowed further, it was clear that he was fighting a mental war with himself. He avoided Santana’s hopeful eyes or even Britt’s adorable pout, but when he met Quinn’s sharp gaze, he crumbled. The cheerleader raised an eyebrow at the way his shoulders sagged, with relief or defeat, she wasn’t sure.

“Yeah,” he breathed out, flinching when Brittany cheered beside him, “Why not?”

Will’s smile, if it was even possible, grew ten times in size as he swept his hand over the room, inviting him to show his best. Liam walked across the room, inspecting it as the the Unholy Trinity settled on the chairs at the corner of the room. He sent them a playful glare, making them snicker as he reached for the acoustic guitar.

When he sat on the stool, he wracked his brain for any kind of song that would be fitting in this situation, but there was one that kept playing. He shrugged his shoulders and placed the fingers of his left hand against the strings. Might as well.

Quinn straightened her back when she recognized the first few notes, the tips of her cheeks turning red the moment Liam’s husky voice began to sing.

 

And I’d give up forever just to touch you

‘Cause I know that you feel me somehow

You’re the closest to heaven that I’ll ever be

And I don’t want to go home right now

 

And all I can taste is this moment

And all I can breathe is your life

And sooner or later, it’s over

I just don’t want to miss you tonight

 

Liam raised his head from the instruments, chuckling at Santana and Brittany, who had their arms in the air and were waving as if in the middle of the concert.

 

And I don’t want the world to see me

‘Cause I don’t think that they’d understand

When everything’s made to be broken

I just want you to know who I am

 

As if pulled by a magnetic force, his gaze was drawn to Quinn’s, who sat there silently with an unreadable expression on her face and her lip caught between her teeth. Liam smothered the painful spike in his chest and rather closed his eyes, immersing himself in the beauty that was The Goo Goo Dolls. God, he loved this. Why hasn’t he done it sooner?

 

And you can’t fight the tears that ain’t coming

Or the moment of truth in your lies

When everything feels like the movies

Yeah, you bleed just to know, you’re alive

 

Suddenly, the letterman jacket on his shoulders started to weigh him down like a pile of bricks. Oh, that’s why. They would have eaten him alive if he had so much as looked the choir room’s way, but now that Finn and the Unholy Trinity were here too, he could join, right?

 

And I don’t want to world to see me

‘Cause I don’t think they’d understand

When everything’s made to be broken

I just want you to know who I am

 

As he strummed a couple of the last chords, he almost laughed at the absurd thought. Who was he kidding, in this school, labels were everything and it wouldn’t change just because some popular kids joined one of the loser clubs. No, they would just become losers too.

He sat the guitar down as Mr Shue came up behind him and patted him on his back, unaware of his inner turmoil.

“Well done, Liam. All of you, really,” the teacher clapped his hands, startling them all, “Welcome to Glee Club.”

 

-|-

 

“Quinn! Are you even listening to me?” the blonde was brought out of her thoughts by Santana shaking her shoulder like a mad woman, Brittany sending her a concerned look from the back of the car.

“Uh, yeah, I’m fine,” she cleared out her throat, letting up the white-knuckled grip she had on the steering wheel.

“Great, can we go inside?” asked Brittany, twirling a lock of her hair, “I need to be home soon for Lord Tubbington’s AA meeting.”

The head cheerleader swallowed harshly, her eyes flitting back to the entrance of the restaurant.

“Why don’t we go somewhere else? I’m not really in the mood for Breadsticks,” she didn’t wait for a reply, already putting the car in drive, eager to escape the situation in front of her.

Because Quinn Fabray could handle a lot of things, she was the HBIC after all, but she didn’t think that she could survive the way her heart squeezed when she saw Liam with his arms wrapped around Maddy, the girl laughing as she put his letterman jacket on his shoulders. That just made Quinn nauseous.

When they drove away from the parking lot, through Santana’s constant yapping, she could hear only one thing rushing through her ears.

 

I just want you to know who I am

I just want you to know who I am

I just want you to know who I am

 

 

Chapter 3: Acafellas

„Well, Mr Hudson, everything checks out. She is a strong, healthy dog,“ said Dr Martin, scratching Joy behind her ear, „Just maybe cut down on the treats a little, yeah?“

Joy’s yearly check-up always went well. She was well-fed and full of energy, so there was nothing to be concerned about if you don’t count the mischievous streak that she inherited from her owner. Liam smiled at the kind middle-aged vet and thanked him before hooking the leash in Joy’s harness and leaving the office.

After every visit, they took a long walk outside to enjoy the nice afternoon, the dog’s spotted ears twitching every time a squirrel ran by. As they neared the ice cream truck they often frequented, Liam recognized a familiar voice ordering the frozen treat. Her back was turned to him so it was almost too easy to sneak up on her.

„Today’s a cheat day, huh?“ he asked, leaning on the side of the truck with a cheeky smile, „Don’t worry, your secret’s safe with me.“

The blonde jumped up at the sudden appearance of the Hudson boy, clutching her arm to her chest as she glared at him. But soon, the pair broke out in laughter, confusing the staff of the truck.

„Uh, miss?“ called out a girl, who couldn’t be older than thirteen, from the window, „What flavour did you want?“

„Sorry. Vanilla, please,“ Quinn rolled her eyes when Liam scoffed beside her, „Got a problem with that?“

„No, not at all. It’s just that you’re boring, Fabray,“ the cheerleader opened her mouth to fire back, but before she could, Liam turned to the ice cream seller with a charming smile, „I’ll take a scoop of Rocky Road, please, and a bowl of whipped cream for this one here.“

Joy perked up at the sound of her favourite treat, her tail wagging excitedly as she marched in place. Quinn cooed at the adorable sight and knelt down to properly greet the dog, missing the way Liam sneakily paid for their order before peppering some sprinkles at the top of her cone.

„Will this suffice as a peace offering?“ he chuckled at the way Quinn’s eyes lit up when she saw the rainbow drops slowly melting in the warm autumn sun, but that soon dimmed as the blonde frowned, „What’s wrong? It’s vanilla with extra sprinkles, just like you like it.“

„I shouldn’t eat so much carbs,“ Quinn got up from the ground, dusting off her skirt, „Coach Sylvester needs me in perfect shape.“

„Oh, then you have nothing to worry about,“ even though a small smile broke through, Liam could still see the insecurities clouding her mind, „Come on, one ice cream and we can take a walk in the park, huh? It’ll cancel each other out.“

Joy yapped happily from her spot beside them, whipped cream all over her snout, and Quinn finally let herself grin fully as she nodded.

„Okay, gimme that,“ she snatched the cone and strutted away, Joy at her heels and a blush on her cheeks as she heard Liam laughing behind her.

 

-|-

 

Glee was… a mess. At least that’s what Liam gathered so far as he stood back while the rest practised choreography… if that is what you want to call it. The kids had enthusiasm and some talent, but most of them couldn’t stand each other and they would rather claw their eyes out for a solo.

„Five, six, seven, eight,“ Mr Shue had his back turned to them and he was shouting the instructions, his arm raised in the air, „Step and step. Step and step. And turn it around.“

Brad the pianist tried to keep up with them, but it seemed that even he didn’t know what kind of song Mr. Shue had in mind. All of them had bored looks on their faces and were probably cursing their decision to join as they clapped out of the beat for the fifth time.

„Down and up. And hit, hit, down, hit,“ Liam let out a sigh of relief when someone interrupted him, even though it was Rachel with her annoyingly loud voice.

„Can we stop, please?“ Brad stopped playing as Will turned to his students.

„You don‘t have to ask me every time for permission to go to the bathroom, Rachel. You can just go,“ he was about to turn back around, but the diva wasn’t done yet.

Liam left his sulking spot and stood next to Santana, the Latina laughing at his expression.

„You done pouting like a kicked puppy?“ she teased him, elbowing him in the ribs.

„No,“ huffed the younger Hudson, his frown deepening.

„It‘s not my bladder,“ replied Rachel, causing snickers to ripple through the room, the loudest one coming from Santana.

„Come on, let her talk,“ scolded Liam gently, his lips curving up, “She’s not senile. She just dresses like a person, who is.“

Finn apparently didn’t appreciate the jab, because he punched Liam in the shoulder to quiet him down while Rachel just glared his way. The athlete just narrowed his eyes and stuck his tongue out. That’s what you get for saying I dance like a five-year-old. Now, I’m going to act like one too.

„That was rude,“ scoffed Rachel before finally finishing her initial thought, „It’s the choreography.“

Now, it was Mr Shue’s turn to look offended as the rest of the kids nodded along with Rachel in an act of rare agreement.

„Okay, what‘s wrong with the choreography?“ the teacher was expecting the usual elaborate rant about how she could do it better, but he got something much much worse.

„It sucks!“ Will flinched at the outburst, but Rachel either didn’t care or she didn’t notice, because she continued, all in one exhale, „It’s completely unoriginal. We can’t compete with Vocal Adrenaline with these steps.“

The more Rachel talked, Liam thought about how he had heard a similar conversation before. One glance at the giggling Unholy Trinity and his suspicions were proven right. He just shook his head at the girls fondly, sighing exasperatedly.

„You’re a great vocal coach, Mr Shue, but you’re not a trained choreographer,“ Rachel hesitated for a moment, but one glare from Quinn got her talking again, „That’s what we need to be the best. We need Dakota Stanley.“

„Who?“ asked the younger Hudson, raising his hand confused, but Quinn took it and pulled it down.

„He‘s the best show choir choreographer in the Midwest. He works with Vocal Adrenaline,“ Rachel started explaining, her tone bossy as if they were back in kindergarten, „You can‘t take regionals without him. He was the understudy to Candelabra in Beauty and the Beast on Broadway.“

Liam hummed at the impressive resumé, but it seemed that Mr Shue was less than impressed.

„Just because he understudied, doesn‘t mean he ever performed,“ he defended himself, leaning on the piano.

„Did you ever perform, Mr Shuester?“ jumped in Quinn, her smirk widening when the teacher shrunk from her gaze, „After high school, did you even try?“

 

-|-

 

The next day, the Glee club could be found lounging in the choir room after Mr Shue, once again, didn’t show up for their practice. Most of the choir room’s occupants were half-asleep in their seats, Artie going as far as leaning on his guitar and snoring. Liam wasn’t faring much better, with the way Brittany kept playing with his hair, his eyelids were growing heavy. He could faintly hear the blonde cheerleader whispering to her friends about its fluffiness, receiving a giggle from Santana and Quinn… well, green was never her colour.

The tranquil atmosphere of the room was broken when Rachel barged in with a tray of star-shaped biscuits in her hands.

“He’s not coming,” she sighed dramatically.

The sudden stop in piano notes brought Liam out of his slumber, who shot up from Brittany’s lap and landed hard on the floor. Santana burst out cackling as he rubbed his face with a grimace, his eyes still half-closed. He would swear that he heard a snicker escape Quinn too.

“W…what happened?” he mumbled while getting up into a seat beside the almost crying Latino, elbowing her in the ribs for a good measure.

“He didn’t even try my sugar cookies,” pouted the diva after she retold her encounter with their teacher.

“Of course, he doesn’t want anything to do with us after you kicked him in the nads,” jumped in an agitated Finn, throwing up his hands as he let out his frustration with the situation.

“Then why did he thank me?” asked Rachel, gesturing to the plate and then crossing her arms over her chest.

Quickly growing bored with the conversation, Santana decided to put in her input, tapping the younger Hudson’s leg for a good measure to get his attention from the mouth-watering cookies and help her.

“The goal is to win,” she made sure that she had all of the choir room watching her before she continued with a confident smirk, “And now that Mr Shuester has agreed to let us hire Dakota Stanley, we can.”

“Plus it would be kind of nice to learn something other than disco,” pitched in Liam, making jazz hands to accentuate his point, earning a chuckle from most of the Glee club.

“But he doesn’t want us to,” Finn protested all of their claims, “He just doesn’t have the confidence to coach us anymore. Guys are really sensitive when it comes to that kind of stuff.”

Of course, Miss-I’m-the-centre-of-the-universe had to make this all about herself.

“A… and that’s my fault?” Rachel asked offended, stuttering under Finn’s defiant glare.

“Do you see anyone else in here with a plate of I’m sorry cookies?” the quarterback clapped back, Liam joining him at his side.

“I don’t. Just you,” shrugged the athlete with a tight-lipped smile.

“I’m bored,” huffed out Quinn, standing up from her spot, “All those in favour of hiring Dakota Stanley?”

Everyone in the room, except Finn, raised their hands with varying degrees of decisiveness. The older Hudson tried to make his brother put his hand down with a glare, but he only got one in return. With the decision made, everybody began to file out of the room, Finn with his head hung low. Liam stopped by the plate left on the piano, the Unholy Trinity waiting for him by the door.

“Might as well,” he took one of the sugary treats and bit into it, wincing when a sharp pain ripped through his jaw at their hardness, “Fuck!”¨

He dropped the biscuit and held his aching cheek, pouting when he heard the three cheerleaders laughing once again.

 

-|-

 

“Jesus, Finn! No!” Liam let out a frustrated shout, slamming the book shut, “Let’s run through it again.”

The brothers were sitting on bleachers lining the football field, multiple books strewn between them as Liam tried to keep himself from murdering his own twin in cold blood. They had a big US History test coming up and one of them was a lot less prepared than he thought.

“Do we have to?” whined Finn, rubbing his temple as he leant back, the sun shining right into his face.

“Yes, you have to get your grades up,” the younger Hudson patted the quarterback's calf before he opened the textbook once again, “Now, who was the first US president?”

“It was the one with the cherry tree, right?” Finn’s face contorted as he thought long and hard, but he still couldn’t come up with an answer, “I’ve got nothing.”

“How is it possible that you remember a fucking myth, but not the actual name of that person?” muttered the running-back into his clasped hands, more for his own relief than anything else as they had been on this topic for a few hours now and Finn wasn’t getting any smarter, “It’s George Washington!”

“Oh, like the Redskins?” piped up Finn like an excited puppy, sitting up from the bench.

“Yeah, like the Redskins,” sighed Liam, completely exhausted and it wasn’t even the end of the day, “Listen, let’s take a break. I need some snacks or I just might eat the freaking book.”

The younger twin stood up, stretching his arms overhead until he heard that satisfying pop.

“Could you get me a Hershey’s bar?” asked Finn, once again laid back on the metal bleachers.

“Only if you’re paying,” with a grunt, the quarterback reached into his jeans pocket and pulled out a rumpled bill, which Liam quickly snatched.

Armoured with Finn’s money, the running-back strutted through the hallways, whistling quietly a song he heard on the radio. When he reached the vending machine, he found it already occupied by someone, the red man of hair betraying their owner.

Maddy had a thoughtful look on her freckled face as she regarded the display in front of her, the blue light from the machine casting an almost ethereal glow on her.

“Is anything good on?” asked Liam, approaching her.

She didn’t jump, nor did she seem surprised to see him. She just smiled up at him, her blue eyes lighting up.

“Hmm, I don’t know. Reese’s cups sound really good right about now,” she brushed a wayward strand of hair out of her forehead, “What about you? Craving some chocolate?”

“I feel like if I don’t put some sugar in my system I might spontaneously combust,” he joked, sharing a soft laugh with the short cheerleader.

“Now, we wouldn’t want that,” a rosy blush sprouted on his cheeks when her eyes scanned his form, lingering on his biceps and broad shoulders, “But there’s just one slight problem.”

“What’s wrong?” his brow furrowed at Maddy’s gusty sigh.

“It’s stuck,” she pointed to the machine, where a packet of her desired Reese’s cups was stuck in between potato crisps and a can of soda, “I’ve been trying to get it out for five minutes.”

“That’s no problem at all,” the athlete grinned before he walked to the side and slammed his hand in just the right spot.

The machine hummed to life, the light flickering before the telltale sign of something dropping into the pick-up box. With an excited squeal, Maddy leaned down and reached for her treat, proudly holding up the orange packet.

“You’re a lifesaver. How did you know to do that?” Liam punched in the desired number of rows and leaned on the cool glass, smiling crookedly.

“I like to snack a bit after a tiring practice,” he chuckled at her mock gasp, running a hand through his tussled hair.

“Scandalous. The McKingley’s Titans running-back and track star, Liam Hudson, enjoys life’s simple pleasures,” Maddy opened her snack and bit into the peanut-butter-filled cup, “I can see the headlines now.”

“Yeah, well, you can add the Glee background singer to that list,” muttered the football player, picking up the Hershey’s bar and a packet of Sour Patch Kids.

“You really joined, huh?” he just shrugged in response, “Is it true that it’s just a cover-up for a satanic cult?”

“No, even when sometimes it seems like it,” before they could discuss the matter further, Liam felt his phone buzz, probably from Finn looking for him, “Listen, I’ll have to go, but I’ll text you. I really had a blast last week and it would be nice to hang out again.”

“Yeah, me too,” as he began to walk backwards toward the door leading outside, she sent him one last coy wave, “I’ll be waiting.”

 

-|-

 

Liam loved cars, that was a well-known fact. He loved to feel the purr of the engine underneath his hands and the roll of the tyres against the asphalt. So imagine his reaction when Kurt, his boss’ son, rolled up to Carmel High in a sleek black Ford Explorer.

“Damn, Kurt, this car is fly,” complimented Mercedes, batting her eyelashes, and Liam couldn’t agree more.

“My dad got it for my sweet 16 after I swore to stop wearing formfitting sweaters that stop at the knee,” he smirked when he noticed the group scanning his choice of attire, “What he doesn’t know doesn’t hurt him.”

The shorter boy locked up his car and they proceeded toward the main building, Quinn almost having to drag Liam from the vehicle he was drooling over.

“Are we even sure they’re rehearsing?” she asked, still tugging the running-back along.

She may not look it, but that girl had the strength of a bull. And a stubbornness of one too.

“The Vocal Adrenaline rehearses every day from 2:30 until midnight,” Liam decided to just cease fighting the grip the cheerleader had on him, remarking dryly.

“That seems healthy,” he then whined, pouting adorably, “Could you let me go? This has to be some form of domestic violence.”

“We would have to be married for that,” bit back Quinn with a smile, but she did let go of his letterman jacket.

“I don’t think that’s how it works,” the athlete casually threw an arm around Quinn’s shoulders, squeezing her maybe a bit too tightly and earning himself a fierce glare, “I thought you were supposed to be the smart one.”

They didn’t notice Rachel's suspicious stare following them, nor the narrowed eyes of Santana. Before either could comment anything, Mercedes jumped in, fiddling nervously with the suspenders she wore.

“I’m just so nervous these Vocal Adrenalin kids are gonna laugh at us,” she closed her eyes dreamily, “They’re so cool and popular, and we look like we stepped off the short bus.”

Kurt was fast to protest, shocking Tina and Rachel, who were walking behind them, staring bewildered at their linked arms.

“Those sweaty Nazis just had more time to practice. We have more heart,” he then gestured to the black girl’s outfit, something he undoubtedly helped put together, causing her to look down shyly, “And you don’t look touched in the head. That outfit is amazing.”

Quinn threw a quick smile Mercedes’ way over Liam’s arm before turning back to listen to his rant, giggling every now and then when he said something so endearingly nerdy.

“So would you ever, you know, want to hang out?” apparently, the hidden meaning completely flew over Kurt’s head as he answered quickly.

“Come over. It’s Liza Minelli's week on AMC,” Rachel chose this moment to join in the conversation, rushing to be at the front of the group.

“Guys! That’s Andrea Cohen!” with a crazed look she pointed to a girl hunched over a trash can as she heaved, “She won outstanding soloist last year at Absolutely Tampastic.”

“The what? Berry, do you have a social life?” Liam’s question was ignored by almost everyone except for the blonde cheerleader, who patted his arm with a chuckle.

Their attention returned to the pair of Vocal Adrenaline members, one of whom was currently combing back Andrea’s hair and scolding her gently.

“You can’t leave rehearsals for any reason. That includes heat exhaustion or Crohn’s disease,” completely disregarding the awkward setup, Rachel marched up to them happily.

“Are you guys Vocal Adrenaline? We’d like to talk to Dakota Stanley about choreography for our glee club,” Liam raised his arm and waved at the girls, his soft smile falling when Andrea looked up with tear-stained cheeks.

“Don’t!” she urged them, her knuckles turning white from holding the trash can, “He’s a monster!”

 

-|-

 

Just like every teenager, even the New Directions lacked the basic instinct of self-preservation, causing them to sneak into the Vocal Adrenaline’s rehearsal and witness the jaw-dropping performance of Duffy’s Mercy.

 

Hit the beat

And take it to the verse, now

Yeah, yeah, yeah

Yeah, yeah, yeah

Yeah, yeah, yeah

Yeah, yeah, yeah

 

They were all dressed in black and light blue, their moves almost flawless as they danced across the stage. Liam couldn’t help but tap his foot to the beat of the song.

 

I love you

But I gotta stay true

My morals got me on my knees

I’m begging, please, stop playing games

 

I don’t know what this is

Cause you got me good

Just like you knew you would

I don’t know what you do

But you do it well

I’m under your spell

(Gotcha under my spell)

 

His eyes widened at the difficult lifts they performed. He glanced at Santana and he could see that she had the same awe-stricken look on her face. When she met his gaze, they both nodded resolutely, a decision made. They had to try these for themselves.

 

You got me beggin’ you for mercy (yeah, yeah, yeah)

Why won’t you release me (yeah, yeah, yeah)

I’m beggin’ you for mercy (yeah, yeah, yeah)

Why won’t you release me? (mercy)

Show me some mercy

 

I said release me (yeah, yeah, yeah)

You got me beggin’ you for mercy (yeah, yeah, yeah)

You got me beggin' you for mercy (yeah, yeah, yeah)

Give me some mercy

I said release me (yeah, yeah, yeah)

 

Before any of the dancers could take a proper breath, a short man in a black shirt stormed onto the stage, fuming.

“Get off my stage!”

So this was the famous Dakota Stanley… Liam already didn’t like him.

 

-|-

 

After the rehearsal, Dakota seemed to vanish, but they caught him just before he left. He didn’t pay them any mind, simply walking out of the main building onto the parking lot, but the New Directions were nothing if not relentless.

They stopped by the Chevrolet Corvette Stingray that had Liam almost melting on the ground, although to some it may have seemed that the curvy blonde in it was the reason.

“Mr Stanley! We’re the McKinley High glee club!” shouted Rachel, but she was quickly shut down by the dwarf-like choreographer.

“No interviews,” he stated, starting the car without so much as a glance their way.

“We’d like you to choreograph for us,” intervened Tina without a stutter.

“Look, my fee is $8,000 per number,“ Dakota continued to list his demands, but Quinn’s attention was elsewhere.

With narrowed eyes, she was watching as Liam approached the car, running a hand over the shiny hood. He and that leggy blonde exchanged a few words, but while she was blatantly flirting with the running back, his admiring eyes never strayed from the fine piece of machinery.

When the cheap knockoff of a Barbie ran her nail up his inner arm, Quinn snapped and stormed over, dragging him away a minute later with a scowl on her face. If you asked Santana, she would swear to you that she heard a growl come from the blonde cheerleader. Thankfully, Dakota then quickly sped away from the parking lot, leaving behind bewildered students, for more than one reason.

„How are we gonna get $8,000?“

 

-|-

 

Will was currently on a hunt amidst the teenagers of McKingley High and he hoped it would be a successful one. As he was walking down the hallway, he spotted his prey at his locker, putting away his textbooks from the last lesson of the day, dressed in his classic letterman jacket.

When Liam saw him strutting toward him, a crooked smile painted on his teacher’s face, he immediately knew why. Finn already tried to rope him into the so-called Acafellas, but the athlete refused to yield and give up the last bit of dignity he had left.

„No. No way,“ mumbled the younger Hudson, shaking his head as he backed away.

„Come on! It will be fun!“ Will now had to jog a little as the teen began to get away from him.

„Stay away from me!“ were the last words Mr Shue heard before Liam disappeared around the corner, the older man now leaning against the lockers, completely out of breath.

„Damn, he‘s fast.“

 

-|-

 

Even well into the autumn, the sweltering heat didn’t let up and what better way to cool down and raise money for the new choreographer than a good old-fashioned car wash? Currently, the high school parking lot was crowded with the Cheerios in short skirts and bikini tops mixed with the entirety of Glee. So far, they have made quite a profit and the rows of cars weren’t stopping anytime soon.

While most of the New Directions were shyly working in the back, Liam mingled among the cheerleaders, helping with the heavy lifting and occasionally annoying the living lights out of the Unholy Trinity.

„If you get it in my hair, I swear I’ll murder you,“ threatened Santana darkly after she felt yet another heap of soap suds land on her back.

Before the athlete could even think about a clever comeback, he was stunned by an icy shower falling atop his head and shoulders. Slackjawed, he slowly turned toward the grinning Quinn Fabray, who was holding now empty bucket, where a freezing water used to be.

„Y… you didn’t,“ stuttered the shell-shocked running back, ignoring the loud cackling behind his back.

„And what if I did?“ the blonde crossed her arms with a challenging glint in her eyes, making Liam smirk.

Lightning fast the younger Hudson lunged at Quinn, picking her up and throwing her over his shoulder. She pounded his back and tried to fight back, but her squeals of joy told another story. Her eyes widened when she saw that he was taking her toward the tub of dirty water they were using for washing the wheels.

„No, no, no, no. Liam, please don’t!“ she begged him, pushing off his back, but his arm held her in a vice-like grip.

„Should’ve thought about the consequences before you dumped that bucket on me,“ teased Liam, waving to a gaping Artie as he passed him and Tina on his way.

„Little Hudson!“ screeched the unmistakable voice of coach Sylvester as she stormed into the parking lot, „Hands off my cheer captain!“

Bashfully, the running back let Quinn down, the girl fixing her skirt in hopes of hiding the blush blossoming on her cheeks. Then, without another word, she scurried off to help Brittany with counting the money.

Liam glanced down at his soaking-wet shirt and sighed, pushing away the dripping hair out of his face. Without much fuss, he took it off and spread it on the bike rack nearby, not realising what would such a simple action cause. Three sets of admiring eyes followed his movement, enjoying the unhindered view of his rippling delts and back.

„Uh, Quinn? You’re crushing the money,“ warned Brittany sweetly, but the Fabray girl was unresponsive, her mouth slightly open.

A loud crash brought the observers out of their daydreams, one of their cars now sporting a hole in the middle of the windshield.

„You busted my window!“ screamed out Kurt, his cheeks burning red from the show he had just witnessed, „How could you do that? You busted my window!“

„Well, you busted my heart,“ retorted Mercedes, marching away with a huff.

Unfortunately, that little argument caused a distraction to Liam, who didn’t watch where he was going and his only warning before he collided with the pole was Miss Pillsbury’s terrified yelp.

„Liam, watch out!“

 

-|-

 

The Glee club stood in a straight line in the middle of a choir room, waiting for Mr Stanley to start his lecture. So far, he only glowered at them with a sneer, lingering on the nice new shiner on Liam’s right cheek.

The choreographer then began handing out some folders, completely skipping over Artie and the Unholy Trinity. Standing tensely between Santana and Rachel, Liam pushed his glasses further up the bridge of his nose. His mother may have been understanding over what happened to his face, knowing that her younger son could be quite accident-prone if left to his own devices, but she was unrelenting when it came to wearing glasses instead of contact lenses until the bruise healed.

„Okay, please examine your personalized menus,” Dakota finally spoke, stepping back after he handed the last folder to Finn.

The running back reluctantly opened his, his eyes widening when he read the amount of eggs and carrots he was supposed to eat in a day. Santana, who glanced over his shoulder snickered, teasingly elbowing him to the side.

“Someone finally called you out for not eating your veggies, huh, Peter Parker?” Liam didn’t even bother to scowl at her in response, instead paying attention to Mercedes, who raised her hand.

“Uh, mine just says coffee,” Dakota just agreed nonchalantly with an ironic smile.

“What’s smelt?” asked Rachel, looking up at Finn, who could just shrug.

“A pungent, low-carb freshwater fish,” answered her Mr Stanley instead before jumping right into it, “Okay, let’s start with today’s business. Artie, you’re cut. You’re not trying hard enough.”

“At what?” questioned the spectacled boy.

“At walking. We can’t be wheeling you around during every number. It throws off the whole dynamic and it’s depressing,” Liam glared at the much shorter man, not liking the way he was treating his friends.

“So, you’re kicking him out?” Mercedes voiced everyone’s thoughts, pointing to the crestfallen Artie.

“Mh-hmm. Also you. You've got to go, Effie,” the black singer made an offended face, her frown deepening when Dakota teased her, “No, no, no. Yeah.”

“You can’t kick people out of the Glee club because you don’t like the way they look,” protested Kurt, standing up to his friends’ defence.

“Uh, why don’t you shut your face-gash and stay away from aerosol cans, because you could burst into flames at any second?” the choreographer then moved down the line, stopping by the Cheerios, gushing, “You three – you’re great. You’re perfect. Seriously, don’t change a thing.”

The cheerleaders simply smiled, Santana throwing a wink Liam’s way, making him roll his eyes jokingly. His smile, however, was wiped off a second later when Dakota stomped his way toward him with a huff.

“You thought about the LASIK surgery, Clark Kent?” the Latina next to him burst out laughing at his shocked expression, his mouth opening and closing like a fish.

“Are they really that bad?” Liam turned to the three, genuinely hurt and confused.

Santana ceased her snickers when she noticed his reaction, rather squeezing his bicep to offer some comfort. Quinn leaned out of the row and pushed his glasses up once more, remarking softly.

“I think they look cute,” the two turned away from each other with a slight rosiness to their cheeks just as Dakota reached Rachel.

“Uh, you? Ew, nose job,” even Liam could admit that that was a low blow and clearly his brother thought so too.

“Now hold on a second?” Finn burst out outraged.

“What? What was that Franketeen?” Mr Stanley put his hand against his ear, shouting up at him,  “Why don’t you, uh, wipe that dopey look off your face and get some lotion for those knuckles you’ve been dragging on the ground?”

“What’s wrong with you?” asked the quarterback, which clearly hit the nerve.

“What’s wrong with me? What’s wrong with me is that you’re freakishly tall. I feel like a woodland creature,” ranted Dakota, trying and failing to appear taller than he actually was.

Then the choreographer looked across the entirety of the New Directions, most of whom were wearing hurt faces and frowns.

“Am I hurting your feelings? Did I say something wrong? Because I thought you wanted someone who respected you enough to tell you the truth. But maybe you don’t have the confidence to hear it? Maybe you need someone who’s going to lie to you and tell you things like you got what it takes,” he let the message sink in as Quinn glanced down with a satisfied smile.

Liam’s shoulders straightened and he met the cruel man’s gaze head-on the whole time as he continued through his rant about how they weren’t enough.

“But you know what? As far as I can see, you don’t,” except for Dakota’s yapping the choir room was entirely silent, the New Directions standing around as if they were just slapped in the face, “So, why don’t you just take a little second, take a breather, and ask yourself, do I want to be a winner or not?”

Finally, Finn had enough of the charade and he decided to take the initiative.

“Screw this,” everybody turned to him, especially Rachel, who through Dakota’s lecture began to seem more and more enamoured in the vision of becoming a star, “I quit.”

“Me t-t-too,”

“Let’s roll, Artie,” one by one the Glee Club made their way toward the door, the only ones standing in their places being Rachel, the Unholy Trinity and much to Finn’s charging Liam, who was held back by Santana.

“No, great, great,” Dakota couldn’t be more thrilled by the turn of events, “You know, separate the wheat from the chaff. That’s perfect.”

“Wait!” Rachel stopped them all from leaving, slightly hesitating before finding her voice again, “Barbra Streisand. When Barbra was a young ingénue, everyone told her in order to be a star, she’d have to get a nose job. Thankfully she refused.”

“Where’s this going, Yentl?” unamused by her protest, Dakota stared her down (more like up) with his hands braced against his hips.

“Where it’s going is that we don’t need you,” she turned her attention to her fellow classmates with an encouraging smile and for the first Liam could appreciate her being in the same room as him,  “Let’s face it, we’re never going to be as good of dancers as Vocal Adrenaline. We’re gonna win because we’re different. And that’s what makes us special.”

“They told J. Lo her booty is too big,” Mercedes put her two cents in, bringing out an avalanche of celebrity facts.

“Curtis Mayfield was more successful after he became paralyzed,” they started to join the group once again, Finn being the last one to leave the doorway.

“Jim Abbott,” simply mentioned the quarterback, testing Kurt’s thorough knowledge of sports.

“I have no idea who that is,” Liam smiled softly and his twin and answered before he could, holding his hand up for a fist bump.

“He was a one-armed pitcher for the Yankees. Pitched a no-hitter,” Finn came back to the centre of the room and returned the gesture, but the heartwarming moment was interrupted by Dakota.

“Okay, so, yeah. Misfits and spaz-heads and cripples can make it too. That’s great. What’s your point?” broken out of a staring contest with Finn, Rachel stepped up to Dakota, making their height difference more obvious.

“Our point is that you’re fired,” everyone except for the three cheerleaders looked on excited, snickering when the diva added even more insult into the wound, “And I’m taller than you.”

“Barely.”

 

-|-

 

At the end of the week, Mr Shue decided to come back to teaching, now more confident than ever. They were now practising a new number in the choir room and even though it wasn’t something big and special, it was a good start. The cheerleaders were nowhere to be seen so Liam decided to dance by Artie, the two were joking in between takes and chatting with Mercedes and Tina. As much as Liam loved his older twin brother, he didn’t want to be near Finn’s lethal dancing.

“Uh, uh, step, ball change and head. Step, ball change, and head. Low and up. Low and high!” they caught a pretty good rhythm so everyone was smiling excitedly by the time the teacher turned around to gain their input, “What do you guys think?”

“Mr Shuester?” called out Rachel bashfully, making him sigh.

“Yes, Rachel?” they had a little stare-off before the diva grinned and complimented him.

“It was really good,” The Glee club cheered, Artie gently nudging Liam’s leg, only to receive a playful push in return.

“Thank you, thank you. Okay, from the top!”

After another few tries, they all left the choir room, chatting about their new routine. The running back decided to hang back and accompany Artie to his locker, carrying his backpack for him.

“That were some sweet moves, buddy,” Liam patted Artie’s shoulder, making him smile up at him.

“You kidding, right? You were the one with sweet moves!” both of them laughed and began bickering, but the athlete caught a glimpse of a crying Latina running down the hallway.

“Hey, buddy. I’m really sorry, but I have to make sure that she’s okay,” Artie waved off his apologetic look, gesturing for him to go after her.

When Liam finally found Santana, she was sitting on the floor by the gymnasium, hugging her knees close to her chest. Without a word, he sat by her and enveloped her in his arms, letting her sob into his chest as he rubbed her back.

 

-|-

 

After driving Santana home, where he made sure that she was safe and taken care of, Liam made his way to the Hudson residence, eager for a nice evening with Joy. Carol took an extra shift for her coworker and Finn was out with some football buddies, so there was nothing holding him back from scarfing down as much ice cream as his stomach could carry.

They were well into the third season of Supernatural, Joy lounging on the couch by Liam’s feet when they heard knocking on the front door. The running back stopped in his movements with a handful of popcorn halfway to his mouth and paused the show.

“Who could it be?” he asked, glancing at the spotted dog, who just answered him with a whine.

He got up and went to the door, Joy on his heels, but the knocking became more insistent, now mixed with the ringing of the bell.

“Okay, I’m coming!” shouted Liam and opened the door, his eyes widening at the sight.

There stood the head cheerleader Quinn Farbray, dressed only in her Cheerios uniform with tears streaming down her face in black lines of mascara.

“Quinn? You must be freezing,” the girl in fact was shivering so Liam immediately pulled her inside and closed the door behind them, “Come in.”

It was a bit awkward for a while as Quinn just stood in the middle of the hallway, quiet sniffles escaping her, while Liam ran off, only to come back with a box of tissues and a glass of water.

“Sorry, but Finn isn’t home right now. I thought he told you?” he took a tissue and began wiping off the mascara tracks off her face gently, holding the blonde by her chin to see better.

“I’m not…,” she cleared her throat, her voice coming out scratchy as she tried again, “I’m not here for Finn. I need your help.”

“Okay,” nodded Liam, getting a bit nervous as he pulled away from her, “Anything. What is it?”

“I need you to help me buy a pregnancy test.”

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Chapter 3 – Acafellas

 

„Well, Mr Hudson, everything checks out. She is a strong, healthy dog,“ said Dr Martin, scratching Joy behind her ear, „Just maybe cut down on the treats a little, yeah?“

Joy’s yearly check-up always went well. She was well-fed and full of energy, so there was nothing to be concerned about if you don’t count the mischievous streak that she inherited from her owner. Liam smiled at the kind middle-aged vet and thanked him before hooking the leash in Joy’s harness and leaving the office.

After every visit, they took a long walk outside to enjoy the nice afternoon, the dog’s spotted ears twitching every time a squirrel ran by. As they neared the ice cream truck they often frequented, Liam recognized a familiar voice ordering the frozen treat. Her back was turned to him so it was almost too easy to sneak up on her.

„Today’s a cheat day, huh?“ he asked, leaning on the side of the truck with a cheeky smile, „Don’t worry, your secret’s safe with me.“

The blonde jumped up at the sudden appearance of the Hudson boy, clutching her arm to her chest as she glared at him. But soon, the pair broke out in laughter, confusing the staff of the truck.

„Uh, miss?“ called out a girl, who couldn’t be older than thirteen, from the window, „What flavour did you want?“

„Sorry. Vanilla, please,“ Quinn rolled her eyes when Liam scoffed beside her, „Got a problem with that?“

„No, not at all. It’s just that you’re boring, Fabray,“ the cheerleader opened her mouth to fire back, but before she could, Liam turned to the ice cream seller with a charming smile, „I’ll take a scoop of Rocky Road, please, and a bowl of whipped cream for this one here.“

Joy perked up at the sound of her favourite treat, her tail wagging excitedly as she marched in place. Quinn cooed at the adorable sight and knelt down to properly greet the dog, missing the way Liam sneakily paid for their order before peppering some sprinkles at the top of her cone.

„Will this suffice as a peace offering?“ he chuckled at the way Quinn’s eyes lit up when she saw the rainbow drops slowly melting in the warm autumn sun, but that soon dimmed as the blonde frowned, „What’s wrong? It’s vanilla with extra sprinkles, just like you like it.“

„I shouldn’t eat so much carbs,“ Quinn got up from the ground, dusting off her skirt, „Coach Sylvester needs me in perfect shape.“

„Oh, then you have nothing to worry about,“ even though a small smile broke through, Liam could still see the insecurities clouding her mind, „Come on, one ice cream and we can take a walk in the park, huh? It’ll cancel each other out.“

Joy yapped happily from her spot beside them, whipped cream all over her snout, and Quinn finally let herself grin fully as she nodded.

„Okay, gimme that,“ she snatched the cone and strutted away, Joy at her heels and a blush on her cheeks as she heard Liam laughing behind her.

 

-|-

 

Glee was… a mess. At least that’s what Liam gathered so far as he stood back while the rest practised choreography… if that is what you want to call it. The kids had enthusiasm and some talent, but most of them couldn’t stand each other and they would rather claw their eyes out for a solo.

„Five, six, seven, eight,“ Mr Shue had his back turned to them and he was shouting the instructions, his arm raised in the air, „Step and step. Step and step. And turn it around.“

Brad the pianist tried to keep up with them, but it seemed that even he didn’t know what kind of song Mr. Shue had in mind. All of them had bored looks on their faces and were probably cursing their decision to join as they clapped out of the beat for the fifth time.

„Down and up. And hit, hit, down, hit,“ Liam let out a sigh of relief when someone interrupted him, even though it was Rachel with her annoyingly loud voice.

„Can we stop, please?“ Brad stopped playing as Will turned to his students.

„You don‘t have to ask me every time for permission to go to the bathroom, Rachel. You can just go,“ he was about to turn back around, but the diva wasn’t done yet.

Liam left his sulking spot and stood next to Santana, the Latina laughing at his expression.

„You done pouting like a kicked puppy?“ she teased him, elbowing him in the ribs.

„No,“ huffed the younger Hudson, his frown deepening.

„It‘s not my bladder,“ replied Rachel, causing snickers to ripple through the room, the loudest one coming from Santana.

„Come on, let her talk,“ scolded Liam gently, his lips curving up, “She’s not senile. She just dresses like a person, who is.“

Finn apparently didn’t appreciate the jab, because he punched Liam in the shoulder to quiet him down while Rachel just glared his way. The athlete just narrowed his eyes and stuck his tongue out. That’s what you get for saying I dance like a five-year-old. Now, I’m going to act like one too.

„That was rude,“ scoffed Rachel before finally finishing her initial thought, „It’s the choreography.“

Now, it was Mr Shue’s turn to look offended as the rest of the kids nodded along with Rachel in an act of rare agreement.

„Okay, what‘s wrong with the choreography?“ the teacher was expecting the usual elaborate rant about how she could do it better, but he got something much much worse.

„It sucks!“ Will flinched at the outburst, but Rachel either didn’t care or she didn’t notice, because she continued, all in one exhale, „It’s completely unoriginal. We can’t compete with Vocal Adrenaline with these steps.“

The more Rachel talked, Liam thought about how he had heard a similar conversation before. One glance at the giggling Unholy Trinity and his suspicions were proven right. He just shook his head at the girls fondly, sighing exasperatedly.

„You’re a great vocal coach, Mr Shue, but you’re not a trained choreographer,“ Rachel hesitated for a moment, but one glare from Quinn got her talking again, „That’s what we need to be the best. We need Dakota Stanley.“

„Who?“ asked the younger Hudson, raising his hand confused, but Quinn took it and pulled it down.

„He‘s the best show choir choreographer in the Midwest. He works with Vocal Adrenaline,“ Rachel started explaining, her tone bossy as if they were back in kindergarten, „You can‘t take regionals without him. He was the understudy to Candelabra in Beauty and the Beast on Broadway.“

Liam hummed at the impressive resumé, but it seemed that Mr Shue was less than impressed.

„Just because he understudied, doesn‘t mean he ever performed,“ he defended himself, leaning on the piano.

„Did you ever perform, Mr Shuester?“ jumped in Quinn, her smirk widening when the teacher shrunk from her gaze, „After high school, did you even try?“

 

-|-

 

The next day, the Glee club could be found lounging in the choir room after Mr Shue, once again, didn’t show up for their practice. Most of the choir room’s occupants were half-asleep in their seats, Artie going as far as leaning on his guitar and snoring. Liam wasn’t faring much better, with the way Brittany kept playing with his hair, his eyelids were growing heavy. He could faintly hear the blonde cheerleader whispering to her friends about its fluffiness, receiving a giggle from Santana and Quinn… well, green was never her colour.

The tranquil atmosphere of the room was broken when Rachel barged in with a tray of star-shaped biscuits in her hands.

“He’s not coming,” she sighed dramatically.

The sudden stop in piano notes brought Liam out of his slumber, who shot up from Brittany’s lap and landed hard on the floor. Santana burst out cackling as he rubbed his face with a grimace, his eyes still half-closed. He would swear that he heard a snicker escape Quinn too.

“W…what happened?” he mumbled while getting up into a seat beside the almost crying Latino, elbowing her in the ribs for a good measure.

“He didn’t even try my sugar cookies,” pouted the diva after she retold her encounter with their teacher.

“Of course, he doesn’t want anything to do with us after you kicked him in the nads,” jumped in an agitated Finn, throwing up his hands as he let out his frustration with the situation.

“Then why did he thank me?” asked Rachel, gesturing to the plate and then crossing her arms over her chest.

Quickly growing bored with the conversation, Santana decided to put in her input, tapping the younger Hudson’s leg for a good measure to get his attention from the mouth-watering cookies and help her.

“The goal is to win,” she made sure that she had all of the choir room watching her before she continued with a confident smirk, “And now that Mr Shuester has agreed to let us hire Dakota Stanley, we can.”

“Plus it would be kind of nice to learn something other than disco,” pitched in Liam, making jazz hands to accentuate his point, earning a chuckle from most of the Glee club.

“But he doesn’t want us to,” Finn protested all of their claims, “He just doesn’t have the confidence to coach us anymore. Guys are really sensitive when it comes to that kind of stuff.”

Of course, Miss-I’m-the-centre-of-the-universe had to make this all about herself.

“A… and that’s my fault?” Rachel asked offended, stuttering under Finn’s defiant glare.

“Do you see anyone else in here with a plate of I’m sorry cookies?” the quarterback clapped back, Liam joining him at his side.

“I don’t. Just you,” shrugged the athlete with a tight-lipped smile.

“I’m bored,” huffed out Quinn, standing up from her spot, “All those in favour of hiring Dakota Stanley?”

Everyone in the room, except Finn, raised their hands with varying degrees of decisiveness. The older Hudson tried to make his brother put his hand down with a glare, but he only got one in return. With the decision made, everybody began to file out of the room, Finn with his head hung low. Liam stopped by the plate left on the piano, the Unholy Trinity waiting for him by the door.

“Might as well,” he took one of the sugary treats and bit into it, wincing when a sharp pain ripped through his jaw at their hardness, “Fuck!”¨

He dropped the biscuit and held his aching cheek, pouting when he heard the three cheerleaders laughing once again.

 

-|-

 

“Jesus, Finn! No!” Liam let out a frustrated shout, slamming the book shut, “Let’s run through it again.”

The brothers were sitting on bleachers lining the football field, multiple books strewn between them as Liam tried to keep himself from murdering his own twin in cold blood. They had a big US History test coming up and one of them was a lot less prepared than he thought.

“Do we have to?” whined Finn, rubbing his temple as he leant back, the sun shining right into his face.

“Yes, you have to get your grades up,” the younger Hudson patted the quarterback's calf before he opened the textbook once again, “Now, who was the first US president?”

“It was the one with the cherry tree, right?” Finn’s face contorted as he thought long and hard, but he still couldn’t come up with an answer, “I’ve got nothing.”

“How is it possible that you remember a fucking myth, but not the actual name of that person?” muttered the running-back into his clasped hands, more for his own relief than anything else as they had been on this topic for a few hours now and Finn wasn’t getting any smarter, “It’s George Washington!”

“Oh, like the Redskins?” piped up Finn like an excited puppy, sitting up from the bench.

“Yeah, like the Redskins,” sighed Liam, completely exhausted and it wasn’t even the end of the day, “Listen, let’s take a break. I need some snacks or I just might eat the freaking book.”

The younger twin stood up, stretching his arms overhead until he heard that satisfying pop.

“Could you get me a Hershey’s bar?” asked Finn, once again laid back on the metal bleachers.

“Only if you’re paying,” with a grunt, the quarterback reached into his jeans pocket and pulled out a rumpled bill, which Liam quickly snatched.

Armoured with Finn’s money, the running-back strutted through the hallways, whistling quietly a song he heard on the radio. When he reached the vending machine, he found it already occupied by someone, the red man of hair betraying their owner.

Maddy had a thoughtful look on her freckled face as she regarded the display in front of her, the blue light from the machine casting an almost ethereal glow on her.

“Is anything good on?” asked Liam, approaching her.

She didn’t jump, nor did she seem surprised to see him. She just smiled up at him, her blue eyes lighting up.

“Hmm, I don’t know. Reese’s cups sound really good right about now,” she brushed a wayward strand of hair out of her forehead, “What about you? Craving some chocolate?”

“I feel like if I don’t put some sugar in my system I might spontaneously combust,” he joked, sharing a soft laugh with the short cheerleader.

“Now, we wouldn’t want that,” a rosy blush sprouted on his cheeks when her eyes scanned his form, lingering on his biceps and broad shoulders, “But there’s just one slight problem.”

“What’s wrong?” his brow furrowed at Maddy’s gusty sigh.

“It’s stuck,” she pointed to the machine, where a packet of her desired Reese’s cups was stuck in between potato crisps and a can of soda, “I’ve been trying to get it out for five minutes.”

“That’s no problem at all,” the athlete grinned before he walked to the side and slammed his hand in just the right spot.

The machine hummed to life, the light flickering before the telltale sign of something dropping into the pick-up box. With an excited squeal, Maddy leaned down and reached for her treat, proudly holding up the orange packet.

“You’re a lifesaver. How did you know to do that?” Liam punched in the desired number of rows and leaned on the cool glass, smiling crookedly.

“I like to snack a bit after a tiring practice,” he chuckled at her mock gasp, running a hand through his tussled hair.

“Scandalous. The McKingley’s Titans running-back and track star, Liam Hudson, enjoys life’s simple pleasures,” Maddy opened her snack and bit into the peanut-butter-filled cup, “I can see the headlines now.”

“Yeah, well, you can add the Glee background singer to that list,” muttered the football player, picking up the Hershey’s bar and a packet of Sour Patch Kids.

“You really joined, huh?” he just shrugged in response, “Is it true that it’s just a cover-up for a satanic cult?”

“No, even when sometimes it seems like it,” before they could discuss the matter further, Liam felt his phone buzz, probably from Finn looking for him, “Listen, I’ll have to go, but I’ll text you. I really had a blast last week and it would be nice to hang out again.”

“Yeah, me too,” as he began to walk backwards toward the door leading outside, she sent him one last coy wave, “I’ll be waiting.”

 

-|-

 

Liam loved cars, that was a well-known fact. He loved to feel the purr of the engine underneath his hands and the roll of the tyres against the asphalt. So imagine his reaction when Kurt, his boss’ son, rolled up to Carmel High in a sleek black Ford Explorer.

“Damn, Kurt, this car is fly,” complimented Mercedes, batting her eyelashes, and Liam couldn’t agree more.

“My dad got it for my sweet 16 after I swore to stop wearing formfitting sweaters that stop at the knee,” he smirked when he noticed the group scanning his choice of attire, “What he doesn’t know doesn’t hurt him.”

The shorter boy locked up his car and they proceeded toward the main building, Quinn almost having to drag Liam from the vehicle he was drooling over.

“Are we even sure they’re rehearsing?” she asked, still tugging the running-back along.

She may not look it, but that girl had the strength of a bull. And a stubbornness of one too.

“The Vocal Adrenaline rehearses every day from 2:30 until midnight,” Liam decided to just cease fighting the grip the cheerleader had on him, remarking dryly.

“That seems healthy,” he then whined, pouting adorably, “Could you let me go? This has to be some form of domestic violence.”

“We would have to be married for that,” bit back Quinn with a smile, but she did let go of his letterman jacket.

“I don’t think that’s how it works,” the athlete casually threw an arm around Quinn’s shoulders, squeezing her maybe a bit too tightly and earning himself a fierce glare, “I thought you were supposed to be the smart one.”

They didn’t notice Rachel's suspicious stare following them, nor the narrowed eyes of Santana. Before either could comment anything, Mercedes jumped in, fiddling nervously with the suspenders she wore.

“I’m just so nervous these Vocal Adrenalin kids are gonna laugh at us,” she closed her eyes dreamily, “They’re so cool and popular, and we look like we stepped off the short bus.”

Kurt was fast to protest, shocking Tina and Rachel, who were walking behind them, staring bewildered at their linked arms.

“Those sweaty Nazis just had more time to practice. We have more heart,” he then gestured to the black girl’s outfit, something he undoubtedly helped put together, causing her to look down shyly, “And you don’t look touched in the head. That outfit is amazing.”

Quinn threw a quick smile Mercedes’ way over Liam’s arm before turning back to listen to his rant, giggling every now and then when he said something so endearingly nerdy.

“So would you ever, you know, want to hang out?” apparently, the hidden meaning completely flew over Kurt’s head as he answered quickly.

“Come over. It’s Liza Minelli's week on AMC,” Rachel chose this moment to join in the conversation, rushing to be at the front of the group.

“Guys! That’s Andrea Cohen!” with a crazed look she pointed to a girl hunched over a trash can as she heaved, “She won outstanding soloist last year at Absolutely Tampastic.”

“The what? Berry, do you have a social life?” Liam’s question was ignored by almost everyone except for the blonde cheerleader, who patted his arm with a chuckle.

Their attention returned to the pair of Vocal Adrenaline members, one of whom was currently combing back Andrea’s hair and scolding her gently.

“You can’t leave rehearsals for any reason. That includes heat exhaustion or Crohn’s disease,” completely disregarding the awkward setup, Rachel marched up to them happily.

“Are you guys Vocal Adrenaline? We’d like to talk to Dakota Stanley about choreography for our glee club,” Liam raised his arm and waved at the girls, his soft smile falling when Andrea looked up with tear-stained cheeks.

“Don’t!” she urged them, her knuckles turning white from holding the trash can, “He’s a monster!”

 

-|-

 

Just like every teenager, even the New Directions lacked the basic instinct of self-preservation, causing them to sneak into the Vocal Adrenaline’s rehearsal and witness the jaw-dropping performance of Duffy’s Mercy.

 

Hit the beat

And take it to the verse, now

Yeah, yeah, yeah

Yeah, yeah, yeah

Yeah, yeah, yeah

Yeah, yeah, yeah

 

They were all dressed in black and light blue, their moves almost flawless as they danced across the stage. Liam couldn’t help but tap his foot to the beat of the song.

 

I love you

But I gotta stay true

My morals got me on my knees

I’m begging, please, stop playing games

 

I don’t know what this is

Cause you got me good

Just like you knew you would

I don’t know what you do

But you do it well

I’m under your spell

(Gotcha under my spell)

 

His eyes widened at the difficult lifts they performed. He glanced at Santana and he could see that she had the same awe-stricken look on her face. When she met his gaze, they both nodded resolutely, a decision made. They had to try these for themselves.

 

You got me beggin’ you for mercy (yeah, yeah, yeah)

Why won’t you release me (yeah, yeah, yeah)

I’m beggin’ you for mercy (yeah, yeah, yeah)

Why won’t you release me? (mercy)

Show me some mercy

 

I said release me (yeah, yeah, yeah)

You got me beggin’ you for mercy (yeah, yeah, yeah)

You got me beggin' you for mercy (yeah, yeah, yeah)

Give me some mercy

I said release me (yeah, yeah, yeah)

 

Before any of the dancers could take a proper breath, a short man in a black shirt stormed onto the stage, fuming.

“Get off my stage!”

So this was the famous Dakota Stanley… Liam already didn’t like him.

 

-|-

 

After the rehearsal, Dakota seemed to vanish, but they caught him just before he left. He didn’t pay them any mind, simply walking out of the main building onto the parking lot, but the New Directions were nothing if not relentless.

They stopped by the Chevrolet Corvette Stingray that had Liam almost melting on the ground, although to some it may have seemed that the curvy blonde in it was the reason.

“Mr Stanley! We’re the McKinley High glee club!” shouted Rachel, but she was quickly shut down by the dwarf-like choreographer.

“No interviews,” he stated, starting the car without so much as a glance their way.

“We’d like you to choreograph for us,” intervened Tina without a stutter.

“Look, my fee is $8,000 per number,“ Dakota continued to list his demands, but Quinn’s attention was elsewhere.

With narrowed eyes, she was watching as Liam approached the car, running a hand over the shiny hood. He and that leggy blonde exchanged a few words, but while she was blatantly flirting with the running back, his admiring eyes never strayed from the fine piece of machinery.

When the cheap knockoff of a Barbie ran her nail up his inner arm, Quinn snapped and stormed over, dragging him away a minute later with a scowl on her face. If you asked Santana, she would swear to you that she heard a growl come from the blonde cheerleader. Thankfully, Dakota then quickly sped away from the parking lot, leaving behind bewildered students, for more than one reason.

„How are we gonna get $8,000?“

 

-|-

 

Will was currently on a hunt amidst the teenagers of McKingley High and he hoped it would be a successful one. As he was walking down the hallway, he spotted his prey at his locker, putting away his textbooks from the last lesson of the day, dressed in his classic letterman jacket.

When Liam saw him strutting toward him, a crooked smile painted on his teacher’s face, he immediately knew why. Finn already tried to rope him into the so-called Acafellas, but the athlete refused to yield and give up the last bit of dignity he had left.

„No. No way,“ mumbled the younger Hudson, shaking his head as he backed away.

„Come on! It will be fun!“ Will now had to jog a little as the teen began to get away from him.

„Stay away from me!“ were the last words Mr Shue heard before Liam disappeared around the corner, the older man now leaning against the lockers, completely out of breath.

„Damn, he‘s fast.“

 

-|-

 

Even well into the autumn, the sweltering heat didn’t let up and what better way to cool down and raise money for the new choreographer than a good old-fashioned car wash? Currently, the high school parking lot was crowded with the Cheerios in short skirts and bikini tops mixed with the entirety of Glee. So far, they have made quite a profit and the rows of cars weren’t stopping anytime soon.

While most of the New Directions were shyly working in the back, Liam mingled among the cheerleaders, helping with the heavy lifting and occasionally annoying the living lights out of the Unholy Trinity.

„If you get it in my hair, I swear I’ll murder you,“ threatened Santana darkly after she felt yet another heap of soap suds land on her back.

Before the athlete could even think about a clever comeback, he was stunned by an icy shower falling atop his head and shoulders. Slackjawed, he slowly turned toward the grinning Quinn Fabray, who was holding now empty bucket, where a freezing water used to be.

„Y… you didn’t,“ stuttered the shell-shocked running back, ignoring the loud cackling behind his back.

„And what if I did?“ the blonde crossed her arms with a challenging glint in her eyes, making Liam smirk.

Lightning fast the younger Hudson lunged at Quinn, picking her up and throwing her over his shoulder. She pounded his back and tried to fight back, but her squeals of joy told another story. Her eyes widened when she saw that he was taking her toward the tub of dirty water they were using for washing the wheels.

„No, no, no, no. Liam, please don’t!“ she begged him, pushing off his back, but his arm held her in a vice-like grip.

„Should’ve thought about the consequences before you dumped that bucket on me,“ teased Liam, waving to a gaping Artie as he passed him and Tina on his way.

„Little Hudson!“ screeched the unmistakable voice of coach Sylvester as she stormed into the parking lot, „Hands off my cheer captain!“

Bashfully, the running back let Quinn down, the girl fixing her skirt in hopes of hiding the blush blossoming on her cheeks. Then, without another word, she scurried off to help Brittany with counting the money.

Liam glanced down at his soaking-wet shirt and sighed, pushing away the dripping hair out of his face. Without much fuss, he took it off and spread it on the bike rack nearby, not realising what would such a simple action cause. Three sets of admiring eyes followed his movement, enjoying the unhindered view of his rippling delts and back.

„Uh, Quinn? You’re crushing the money,“ warned Brittany sweetly, but the Fabray girl was unresponsive, her mouth slightly open.

A loud crash brought the observers out of their daydreams, one of their cars now sporting a hole in the middle of the windshield.

„You busted my window!“ screamed out Kurt, his cheeks burning red from the show he had just witnessed, „How could you do that? You busted my window!“

„Well, you busted my heart,“ retorted Mercedes, marching away with a huff.

Unfortunately, that little argument caused a distraction to Liam, who didn’t watch where he was going and his only warning before he collided with the pole was Miss Pillsbury’s terrified yelp.

„Liam, watch out!“

 

-|-

 

The Glee club stood in a straight line in the middle of a choir room, waiting for Mr Stanley to start his lecture. So far, he only glowered at them with a sneer, lingering on the nice new shiner on Liam’s right cheek.

The choreographer then began handing out some folders, completely skipping over Artie and the Unholy Trinity. Standing tensely between Santana and Rachel, Liam pushed his glasses further up the bridge of his nose. His mother may have been understanding over what happened to his face, knowing that her younger son could be quite accident-prone if left to his own devices, but she was unrelenting when it came to wearing glasses instead of contact lenses until the bruise healed.

„Okay, please examine your personalized menus,” Dakota finally spoke, stepping back after he handed the last folder to Finn.

The running back reluctantly opened his, his eyes widening when he read the amount of eggs and carrots he was supposed to eat in a day. Santana, who glanced over his shoulder snickered, teasingly elbowing him to the side.

“Someone finally called you out for not eating your veggies, huh, Peter Parker?” Liam didn’t even bother to scowl at her in response, instead paying attention to Mercedes, who raised her hand.

“Uh, mine just says coffee,” Dakota just agreed nonchalantly with an ironic smile.

“What’s smelt?” asked Rachel, looking up at Finn, who could just shrug.

“A pungent, low-carb freshwater fish,” answered her Mr Stanley instead before jumping right into it, “Okay, let’s start with today’s business. Artie, you’re cut. You’re not trying hard enough.”

“At what?” questioned the spectacled boy.

“At walking. We can’t be wheeling you around during every number. It throws off the whole dynamic and it’s depressing,” Liam glared at the much shorter man, not liking the way he was treating his friends.

“So, you’re kicking him out?” Mercedes voiced everyone’s thoughts, pointing to the crestfallen Artie.

“Mh-hmm. Also you. You've got to go, Effie,” the black singer made an offended face, her frown deepening when Dakota teased her, “No, no, no. Yeah.”

“You can’t kick people out of the Glee club because you don’t like the way they look,” protested Kurt, standing up to his friends’ defence.

“Uh, why don’t you shut your face-gash and stay away from aerosol cans, because you could burst into flames at any second?” the choreographer then moved down the line, stopping by the Cheerios, gushing, “You three – you’re great. You’re perfect. Seriously, don’t change a thing.”

The cheerleaders simply smiled, Santana throwing a wink Liam’s way, making him roll his eyes jokingly. His smile, however, was wiped off a second later when Dakota stomped his way toward him with a huff.

“You thought about the LASIK surgery, Clark Kent?” the Latina next to him burst out laughing at his shocked expression, his mouth opening and closing like a fish.

“Are they really that bad?” Liam turned to the three, genuinely hurt and confused.

Santana ceased her snickers when she noticed his reaction, rather squeezing his bicep to offer some comfort. Quinn leaned out of the row and pushed his glasses up once more, remarking softly.

“I think they look cute,” the two turned away from each other with a slight rosiness to their cheeks just as Dakota reached Rachel.

“Uh, you? Ew, nose job,” even Liam could admit that that was a low blow and clearly his brother thought so too.

“Now hold on a second?” Finn burst out outraged.

“What? What was that Franketeen?” Mr Stanley put his hand against his ear, shouting up at him,  “Why don’t you, uh, wipe that dopey look off your face and get some lotion for those knuckles you’ve been dragging on the ground?”

“What’s wrong with you?” asked the quarterback, which clearly hit the nerve.

“What’s wrong with me? What’s wrong with me is that you’re freakishly tall. I feel like a woodland creature,” ranted Dakota, trying and failing to appear taller than he actually was.

Then the choreographer looked across the entirety of the New Directions, most of whom were wearing hurt faces and frowns.

“Am I hurting your feelings? Did I say something wrong? Because I thought you wanted someone who respected you enough to tell you the truth. But maybe you don’t have the confidence to hear it? Maybe you need someone who’s going to lie to you and tell you things like you got what it takes,” he let the message sink in as Quinn glanced down with a satisfied smile.

Liam’s shoulders straightened and he met the cruel man’s gaze head-on the whole time as he continued through his rant about how they weren’t enough.

“But you know what? As far as I can see, you don’t,” except for Dakota’s yapping the choir room was entirely silent, the New Directions standing around as if they were just slapped in the face, “So, why don’t you just take a little second, take a breather, and ask yourself, do I want to be a winner or not?”

Finally, Finn had enough of the charade and he decided to take the initiative.

“Screw this,” everybody turned to him, especially Rachel, who through Dakota’s lecture began to seem more and more enamoured in the vision of becoming a star, “I quit.”

“Me t-t-too,”

“Let’s roll, Artie,” one by one the Glee Club made their way toward the door, the only ones standing in their places being Rachel, the Unholy Trinity and much to Finn’s charging Liam, who was held back by Santana.

“No, great, great,” Dakota couldn’t be more thrilled by the turn of events, “You know, separate the wheat from the chaff. That’s perfect.”

“Wait!” Rachel stopped them all from leaving, slightly hesitating before finding her voice again, “Barbra Streisand. When Barbra was a young ingénue, everyone told her in order to be a star, she’d have to get a nose job. Thankfully she refused.”

“Where’s this going, Yentl?” unamused by her protest, Dakota stared her down (more like up) with his hands braced against his hips.

“Where it’s going is that we don’t need you,” she turned her attention to her fellow classmates with an encouraging smile and for the first Liam could appreciate her being in the same room as him,  “Let’s face it, we’re never going to be as good of dancers as Vocal Adrenaline. We’re gonna win because we’re different. And that’s what makes us special.”

“They told J. Lo her booty is too big,” Mercedes put her two cents in, bringing out an avalanche of celebrity facts.

“Curtis Mayfield was more successful after he became paralyzed,” they started to join the group once again, Finn being the last one to leave the doorway.

“Jim Abbott,” simply mentioned the quarterback, testing Kurt’s thorough knowledge of sports.

“I have no idea who that is,” Liam smiled softly and his twin and answered before he could, holding his hand up for a fist bump.

“He was a one-armed pitcher for the Yankees. Pitched a no-hitter,” Finn came back to the centre of the room and returned the gesture, but the heartwarming moment was interrupted by Dakota.

“Okay, so, yeah. Misfits and spaz-heads and cripples can make it too. That’s great. What’s your point?” broken out of a staring contest with Finn, Rachel stepped up to Dakota, making their height difference more obvious.

“Our point is that you’re fired,” everyone except for the three cheerleaders looked on excited, snickering when the diva added even more insult into the wound, “And I’m taller than you.”

“Barely.”

 

-|-

 

At the end of the week, Mr Shue decided to come back to teaching, now more confident than ever. They were now practising a new number in the choir room and even though it wasn’t something big and special, it was a good start. The cheerleaders were nowhere to be seen so Liam decided to dance by Artie, the two were joking in between takes and chatting with Mercedes and Tina. As much as Liam loved his older twin brother, he didn’t want to be near Finn’s lethal dancing.

“Uh, uh, step, ball change and head. Step, ball change, and head. Low and up. Low and high!” they caught a pretty good rhythm so everyone was smiling excitedly by the time the teacher turned around to gain their input, “What do you guys think?”

“Mr Shuester?” called out Rachel bashfully, making him sigh.

“Yes, Rachel?” they had a little stare-off before the diva grinned and complimented him.

“It was really good,” The Glee club cheered, Artie gently nudging Liam’s leg, only to receive a playful push in return.

“Thank you, thank you. Okay, from the top!”

After another few tries, they all left the choir room, chatting about their new routine. The running back decided to hang back and accompany Artie to his locker, carrying his backpack for him.

“That were some sweet moves, buddy,” Liam patted Artie’s shoulder, making him smile up at him.

“You kidding, right? You were the one with sweet moves!” both of them laughed and began bickering, but the athlete caught a glimpse of a crying Latina running down the hallway.

“Hey, buddy. I’m really sorry, but I have to make sure that she’s okay,” Artie waved off his apologetic look, gesturing for him to go after her.

When Liam finally found Santana, she was sitting on the floor by the gymnasium, hugging her knees close to her chest. Without a word, he sat by her and enveloped her in his arms, letting her sob into his chest as he rubbed her back.

 

-|-

 

After driving Santana home, where he made sure that she was safe and taken care of, Liam made his way to the Hudson residence, eager for a nice evening with Joy. Carol took an extra shift for her coworker and Finn was out with some football buddies, so there was nothing holding him back from scarfing down as much ice cream as his stomach could carry.

They were well into the third season of Supernatural, Joy lounging on the couch by Liam’s feet when they heard knocking on the front door. The running back stopped in his movements with a handful of popcorn halfway to his mouth and paused the show.

“Who could it be?” he asked, glancing at the spotted dog, who just answered him with a whine.

He got up and went to the door, Joy on his heels, but the knocking became more insistent, now mixed with the ringing of the bell.

“Okay, I’m coming!” shouted Liam and opened the door, his eyes widening at the sight.

There stood the head cheerleader Quinn Farbray, dressed only in her Cheerios uniform with tears streaming down her face in black lines of mascara.

“Quinn? You must be freezing,” the girl in fact was shivering so Liam immediately pulled her inside and closed the door behind them, “Come in.”

It was a bit awkward for a while as Quinn just stood in the middle of the hallway, quiet sniffles escaping her, while Liam ran off, only to come back with a box of tissues and a glass of water.

“Sorry, but Finn isn’t home right now. I thought he told you?” he took a tissue and began wiping off the mascara tracks off her face gently, holding the blonde by her chin to see better.

“I’m not…,” she cleared her throat, her voice coming out scratchy as she tried again, “I’m not here for Finn. I need your help.”

“Okay,” nodded Liam, getting a bit nervous as he pulled away from her, “Anything. What is it?”

“I need you to help me buy a pregnancy test.”

Notes:

Here it is! New chapter! I'm not sure how I feel about it, it's not bad, but it may not be my favourite one. Anyway, I hope you enjoy!

Chapter 4: Preggers

By the time they found a pharmacy that was open at this hour, they had already driven by three other stores and it was safe to say that both were at their wit’s end. Quinn kept clinging to her seat as if it was her only lifeline and Liam held the steering wheel in a white-knuckled grip and kept clearing out his throat.

„Could you stop that?“ barked out the cheerleader, just as they were backing into a parking spot by the local pharmacy.

„What?“ Quinn imitated what he was doing the whole drive, making him flush and look away, „Sorry, I’ll stop. I‘m just nervous.“

„Yeah, no shit,“ it was rare for Quinn to cuss, let alone to see her this distraught, but Liam could understand.

Uncertainly, he reached across the centre console and put his hand on her shaking knee, rubbing his thumb over the exposed sliver of skin. He gave her one of his bigger hoodies to fend off the cold of the evening, causing her to be practically drowning in the material.

„You don’t have to go in,“ he tried to get to her softly, making her lift her puffy eyes and stare at him, „I can buy it by myself.“

The blonde sniffled and dried a sole tear with the sleeve of his maroon hoodie, the corners of her lips lifting slightly.

„You’re going to buy me a pregnancy test?“ she giggled at his confused frown.

„Well, yeah,“ he nodded resolutely, reaching into the glove compartment to get his wallet, „You want anything else? I think I might get some Red Bull for myself.“

„I’ll come with you, but could we get some ice cream?“ she mumbled shyly, hiding her face in the collar of the hoodie, only to realise her mistake a moment later.

All she could smell was his aftershave along with the subtle hint of oranges. She closed her eyes and basked in the feeling of it all for the moment before snapping them open with a start. Must have been the hormones. She ignored Liam’s amused gaze and instead chose to open the door and escape outside.

„Ice cream it is then,“ Liam nodded, following her lead and making his way to the store, his heart giving a little jump at how small she looked in his clothes.

When they entered, they greeted the clerk and Quinn sent Liam for their snacks. It’s not that she didn’t trust him, but she felt like this was something she needed to do alone. As she reached the aisle with the sanitary products, her hands began to shake so she curled them inside the sleeves and took a deep breath.

Her green eyes scanned across the rows and rows of boxes, having no idea which one to pick. Finally, she settled on one that seemed to have easy enough instructions and three tests in the package. Her eyes began to sting once again as holding the box made all that more real so she chose not to make a scene in the middle of the store and went to find Liam.

It was fairly easy as the store was mostly empty at this hour and Liam‘s tall figure was hard to miss. She found him by the soft drinks aisle and began talking before she even reached him.

„I found it, we can go,“ only when she rounded the corner did she realise that Liam wasn’t as alone as it seemed.

Her eyes widened as she came face to face with the kind smile of Coach Sanchez and his wife. Liam held a similar expression of panic, his mouth opening and closing like a fish. Thankfully, the older pair didn’t seem to notice or they chose to ignore their strange behaviour as they grinned at them, Mrs Sanchez pushing the small toddler higher up her side.

„Oh, hello, Quinn,“ greeted Leo, his gaze flitting between flushed Liam and Quinn dressed in a hoodie that was certainly not hers, „A bit late for a grocery trip, don’t you think?“

„Y…yeah, uh, Finn wanted some popcorn?“ Liam was the first to find an excuse, even though his execution left much to be desired as it almost came out like a question, „So he sent us here?“

The Latino man narrowed his eyes as his wife tried to hide a snicker behind her hand, making Liam redden even more. Quinn tried to discreetly push the box, which now felt as if it weighed a ton, up her sleeve, the other fist clenching and unclenching nervously. The teenagers finally got the chance to breathe properly when the baby on Mrs Sanchez’s hip grumbled and began tugging at her shirt, signalling that she was hungry.

„Oookay,“ drawled out Leo after a meaningful look from his wife, but his brow remained furrowed, „Well, make you sure you don’t stay up late.“

„Will do,“ called the younger Hudson after them, saluting them awkwardly and causing Quinn to slap his shoulder, „Ouch!“

„Popcorn? Really?“ seethed the cheerleader, although it didn’t have the same effect as at school when she adorned her Cheerios uniform.

„What? I couldn’t come up with anything else!“ defended the athlete himself, raising his hands in surrender.

„Unbelievable,“ muttered Quinn, storming past him to the check-out, leaving Liam in the abandoned aisle, feeling as if he just got a whiplash.

 

-|-

 

The front door creaked slightly as they closed it, making them freeze and listen for any other noise. When none came, they both released a breath they were withholding, their tense shoulders sagging.

„Are you sure no one‘s home?“ whispered Liam as they crept up the stairs of the Fabray household, his eyes lingering on the adorable pictures of Quinn and her sister that lined the walls.

„I hope so. Dad should be at the country club so Mum went on a girl’s night out,“ answered Quinn, quickly ducking into her room and pulling the running back with her, „Why?“

„I just think that it would be safer to do it at my place,“ Liam ran a hand through his hair as he took in the bedroom.

It screamed Quinn, with pink walls and plushies on the bed, but there were also subtle hints of the more hidden corners of her personality like the collection of classical horrors on her shelf or the rock band poster she tried to hide behind the boy band ones.

„Well sorry that I don’t want my boyfriend accidentally barging in,“ bit back Quinn, taking off the hoodie with a huff and tossing it to him before pointing to her desk chair, „You can wait right there. And no snooping.“

With those departing words, she locked herself in the adjacent bathroom, leaving Liam in the silent room. He took his designated seat with a sigh and rubbed a hand over his face, feeling the exhaustion setting in despite the energy drink he drank on the way here.

As the minutes passed by, the waiting became unbearable. Thoughts flitted across his mind, one worse than the other. What if the test came back positive? Was he ready to be a father? Of course not, he was a teenager, for heaven’s sake. What would Finn say? What about the rest of his family? Oh, his grandma was going to kill him.

Before he could delve deeper into despair, the bathroom door cracked open and a meagre Quinn came out, all of her anger from before gone. She had tears streaming down her face when she looked up at him and he didn’t need words to understand. Still, she held up the three sticks, all of which had a big plus written on the side, and Liam felt as if the ground crumbled under his feet. Quinn Fabray was having his baby.

 

-|-

 

Mr Shue was currently handing out the sheet music in the choir room when Rachel decided to make herself known. Liam, who to this point was just lying on the back row of chairs and staring at the ceiling, groaned as the pounding in his head intensified. He barely had any sleep last night after Quinn kicked him out of the house before they had any chance to talk, he just spent the whole night turning and thinking. She just told him one thing, but that was enough to shatter his whole heart.

„Finn’s the father, not you. You understand? It’s not you.“

So it was safe to say, that at the moment, he didn’t care about Glee club or the damn football team. Nothing else mattered as much as the life that he helped create and that he wasn’t allowed to love as he wanted. Apparently, Rachel Berry was also struggling with having the thing she cared the most about taken away.

„Excuse me,“ she called out to the teacher after she received her sheet, „This isn’t the right key.“

„No, that’s actually the right key,“ answered Mr Shue nonchalantly, barely turning to face her.

„This is the alto part,“ Rachel’s pitch began to rise in panic, but Liam couldn’t care less as he laid back down and covered his face with the paper.

„Yep, Tina’s doing the solo,“ he felt a tap on his leg, but already suspecting who it came from, he didn’t bother lifting his makeshift sleep mask.

„You okay under there?“ whispered Santana, her voice drowned out a little bit by the argument happening in the background.

„Maybe,“ grumbled the younger Hudson, wincing when the paper was snatched away and he was blinded by the bright lights, „Do I look okay?“

„You look like shit,“ deadpanned the Latina, but there was an undertone of concern in her remark as her eyes scanned the tired face of her best friend, „Wanna talk about it?“

„I don’t think there’s much to talk about except for the fact that I’m an utter failure,“ his moment of self-loathing was broken by the girl’s snickers, making him furrow his brows in genuine hurt, „What? Is my desperation that funny?“

„No, it’s just that in this room, you were the last one I expected to throw himself a pity party,“ she patted his thigh again in the hope of comforting him, „What happened to the confident and always happy Liam Hudson?“

„Even the king has to fall off his horse someday,“ retorted the running back sitting up and hiding his face in his hands.

„Sure, but he doesn’t have to unless he shoots the fucking horse,“ this made a small smile flit across his lips as he looked up, for the thousandth time infinitely grateful to call Santana Lopez his best friend.

„Since when did you become such a thinker? I thought you preferred to throw hands,“ he joked, very well aware of the fact that Santana’s volatile persona was just a shield she used in front of the others.

„Since I had to drag your head out of your sorry ass,“ she flicked him up the head, standing up and calling one last thing over her shoulder before she marched toward Brittany on the other side of the room, „Now stop with this fucking bullshit. It’s sad.“

„Yes, ma’am,“ sighed Liam, frowning when his gaze landed on the couple in the front row, Quinn contently nuzzling into Finn’s side, „I’ll try.“

 

-|-

 

After the rehearsal, Liam waited by the door while Finn gathered his things, so they could head to class together. Just as they were getting ready to leave, Kurt came over to them, taking off his sunglasses.

„Guys? I needed to ask you something,“ the older Hudson glanced at Liam with a confused face, but the younger twin just shrugged and came closer, hoising the book bag higher up his shoulder.

„Thanks, but I already have a date to prom,“ stuttered out Finn awkwardly, making Kurt’s smile drop, „But I’m flattered. I know how important dances are to teen gays. Maybe Liam could…“

„I’m not gay,“ interrupted Kurt before he could finish the thought, a slight blush on his cheeks as he sneaked in a look at the running back, who was glaring at his stupid brother.

„Oh,“ let out the quarterback, furrowing his brows and to be honest, Liam was pretty surprised himself.

„I just…“ Kurt threw his shoulders back and gave them a sinister smile, „I needed a favour.“

That’s what landed them right here, in the middle of the football practice in full training gear. Turns out that Kurt wanted to try out for the kicker position and thought that the star athletes of the school were a good choice for coaches. He was right with Liam, the boy had infinite patience and didn’t even flinch when Kurt suggested playing Single Ladies on their practice. He even busted out some moves himself. Finn, on the other hand, was a bit reluctant but he still decided to help out.

So now, while Finn stretched by the side of the field, Liam stood by Kurt and helped him tighten his shoulder pads, sporting his lucky number 91.

„Just relax, okay?“ Finn came over to them, sending the smaller boy a kind smile, „Remember what we told you: Keep your eye on the ball, don’t try to aim it.“

„Okay,“ after securing the final strap, Liam patted the pads, testing them out, „Put your helmet on.“

„It’ll mess up my hair,“ protested Kurt, finally looking away from the football players, who he kept nervously eyeing.

„Well, nobody cares about your haircut when you’re in the ER,“ counteracted the younger Hudson, nodding to the thing in question with a crooked smile, „Put your helmet on.“

„God,“ sighed the Hummel, but he relented and put on the helmet, it being a bit too big for him.

„Good,“ nodded Finn, picking up the football and tossing it to his brother, who caught it in his gloved hands.

„Red’s your colour,“ remarked Liam before walking toward the goal, missing the way Kurt flushed almost the same shade as the helmet.

„Thank you for helping me with this, Finn,“ said Kurt, his eyes flitting between the quarterback and his brother, who began doing a little jog to warm himself up, „You’re really cool. You both are.“

„Well, I figured, the more crossover between Glee and football, the easier my life’s going to be,“ while Finn was explaining, Kurt went to walk away but was promptly stopped, „Whoa, whoa, where are you going?“

„To get my music ready,“ the Hummel pointed to the stereo booth as if it was the most obvious thing in the world.

„Are you nuts?“ chuckled Finn, but upon realizing that Kurt was serious, he quickly discarded the idea, „You can’t use that.“

„But we did when we were rehearsing,“ insisted Kurt, losing a train of thought when he caught a glance of the Triple Trouble goofing off by the goal.

Liam was currently carrying Mike on his shoulders as if he weighed close to nothing. Kurt’s eyes glazed over when the running back went to throw Mike off, his arms straining underneath his jersey, but he was brought back to reality by Finn correcting him harshly.

„Practicing. And no one was around,“ scoffed the quarterback, irritably glaring at the trio as they crumbled to the ground in a heap of wheezing laughter, „Look, do you know how much interference I had to run with these guys just to get you this tryout? If you do it your way, they’re going to kill you.“

„My body is like a rum chocolate soufflé. If I don’t warm it up right, it doesn’t rise,“ even though Finn seemed to have no idea what he was talking about, Kurt still continued, „If I’m doing this, I’m doing it my way.“

At that point, Liam jogged back to them, with sweaty hair clinging to his forehead and grass stains all over his jersey and the lower part of his jaw. When he noticed the tension between the two, his smile froze on his face and he flicked the stray hair out of his eyes.

„Where’s the hold-up? I thought you were ready, Kurt,“ he patted the smaller boy’s back, causing him to lurch forward.

„He wants to use his music,“ jumped in Finn before Kurt could explain, his voice coming out a bit louder than he wanted.

„Okay, so?“ Liam tilted his head to the side, a bit confused by the problem which only infuriated his older brother more.

„So? It’s insane!“ the quarterback threw his hands up in the air in frustration, now practically shouting, „I don’t know how you did it on your team, but in my world, we don’t do stupid bullshit like this.“

„Oh, okay,“ scoffed Liam, squaring his shoulders defiantly and facing his twin head-on, „On MY team, as you put it, we respect everyone and try to make them as comfortable as possible. So if it means playing the whole fucking playlist of Cats, we do it.“

With those parting words, he turned on his heels and marched toward the stereo booth, looking back to shout over his shoulder.

„And for the record,“ he smirked when he saw the wide-eyed expression from both Kurt and Finn, „Titans are my team too. Deal with it.“

Soon, the music was set up just like Kurt wished and just in time too as Coach Tanaka whistled to gain the attention of the whole team.

„Everybody take a knee!“ the McKinley Titans gathered around him as the coach regarded them with a sour face, „Six games. Our kicker, Mr Langanthal, is zero for twelve in field goal attempts. As most of you statistically-minded people know, that sucks! So Mr Langanthal will thusly now be in charge of hydration services. The next player that can get a football between those uprights will get his job.“

Liam nodded to Kurt, who pushed through the crowd of sweaty footballers until he reached the centre and tapped Ken Tanaka on the shoulder.

„Hi, I’m Kurt Hummel and I’ll be auditioning for the role of kicker,“ his introduction was followed by a peal of scattered laughter throughout the players, most of which quietened down thanks to the scathing glare the younger Hudson sent them.

With an exhausted sigh, the coach agreed to let Kurt try out if only to amuse the players and boost their morale. Mike and Matt stuck by Liam’s side as the Hummel boy took the centre of the field, setting down his stereo and pressing play. He then stood with his back to the goal and his arms raised, waiting for the song to begin.

„What is he doing?“ Matt leaned closer to whisper to Liam, chuckling awkwardly when the running back sent him an excited smile.

„Just wait! It’ll be great, I promise.“

Mike let out a confused noise when Beyoncé’s hit single Single Ladies began to play, Kurt moving to the beat, but he laughed when he caught Liam bobbing his head along and joined him.

As Kurt performed the rest of the choreography, he got gradually closer to the football, until he finally kicked it off the stand. The ball soared through the air, right in the middle of the two poles to the utter amazement of the Titans, who promptly quietened down, one player even going as far as dropping his helmet. 

„Told ya,“ bragged Liam smugly, earning himself a punch to the shoulder from Matt.

Coach Tanaka was the first to get over his shock as he rushed toward Kurt, who was just taking off his helmet, his hair indeed all messed up. He turned him by his shoulders and asked his gingerly as if speaking to a child.

„Can you do that with the game on the line and ten gorillas bearing down on you, who want nothing more than to taste your sweet virgin blood?“ the younger Hudson winced at his wording, his best friends snickering behind him.

„Sounds like fun,“ responded Kurt, completely unbothered, „Can I have my music?“

„You kick like that, you can wear a tutu for all I care,“ readily agreed Ken, his whole red face lighting up, „Gentlemen! We have found ourselves a kicker!“

The team shook their head in disbelief, but the silence was broken by their golden retriever of a running back, who ran to Kurt with a holler, hugging him to his chest and almost tossing him into the air, causing him to yelp and flail helplessly in his grip.

 

-|-

 

The weather seemed to have it out for them, for as soon as Joy and Liam left the park, the sky broke into a downpour. Still, it wasn’t enough to dampen their mood as they walked back home, occasionally splashing in a puddle here and there. When they finally reached the Hudson residence, it was safe to say that they were soaked to the bone, Liam’s jacket clinging to his body.

„Oh, you silly girl,“ laughed the younger Hudson when Joy shook off all the water from her fur in the hallway, drenching him once again, „What did you do that for?“

He took off his wet clothes and hung them by the door, hoping that they’d dry by tomorrow morning as well as Joy’s harness. Then he made his way to the kitchen, his stomach practically growling, but he stopped in his tracks when he saw Finn staring absentmindedly at a blank wall.

He carefully stepped closer, but his brother didn’t react in any way, his mouth hanging slightly open.

„Finn? You okay there, buddy?“ when he got no response, he swallowed nervously and took a seat near the catatonic teenager, „You don’t have a stroke do you? Finn!“

„Huh?“ asked the older brother dumbly, shaking himself out of the trance and looking at Liam with wide eyes, „How long have you been here?“

„A few minutes. What is going on, Finn? You were completely spaced out,“ Liam took Finn’s face in his hands and inspected it closely, but apart from subtle signs of tiredness, he didn’t find anything too alarming.

Finn became silent once again and Liam feared that he had lost him again, but then his bottom lip wobbled and he threw himself into his younger brother’s arms, sobbing like never before. While surprised, Liam enveloped him in a hug and pulled him closer, hoping to comfort him to the best of his ability.

They sat there like this for a few minutes, until Finn’s cries turned into quiet sniffles. Joy was sitting by their feet, her snout pressed into the older Hudson’s calf. After a moment, Finn pulled away and dried his face, his cheeks red and blotchy.

„You know, you don’t need to tell me anything,“ began Liam awkwardly, unused to such a display of emotions from his older twin, „But if you need to talk, I’m always here for you.“

When he received no response whatsoever, he nodded and went to stand up, only for one sentence from Finn to stop him.

„You’re going to be an Uncle,“ Liam froze, his heart beating a hundred miles a minute as his throat squeezed closed.

„What?“ he managed to get out, returning to his seat.

„Quinn’s pregnant and it’s mine. So you’re going to be an Uncle,“ Finn gave him a wry smile, remarking sarcastically, „Don’t start jumping with happiness.“

Silence stretched between them, each one contemplating in their own minds. Liam knew that Quinn would tell Finn soon and that she would insist the baby was his, but he thought that he had more time to prepare. This felt like a train ramming him in the side without any warning.

„Are… is she sure?“ he stuttered out, running a hand through his drying hair.

„Of course, she’s fucking sure, Liam!“ burst out Finn, standing up and beginning to pace the length of the room.

„Okay, sorry. I had to ask,“ the younger Hudson rubbed his knees, looking for some sort of comfort or an escape, „So what now?“

„I don’t know,“ stressed Finn, flailing his arms around, „We need to go to the doctor, I guess?“

„That’s a good start,“ nodded the running back, biting his lip.

„Will you come too?“ asked the older Hudson suddenly, turning to him so fast, he almost got a whiplash.

„To… to the OB?“ Finn completely disregarded Liam’s panic and just nodded eagerly in response, „I… I don’t think that’s such a good idea.“

„Why not? I didn’t tell mom yet, so she can’t come. And we need the support,“ then he started ranting off the reasons why Liam should join them at the doctor’s office, including an early bonding with his niece or nephew.

„Fine!“ shouted Liam, his voice coming out louder than he wanted, but he just needed him to stop as it was getting harder to breathe, „Fine, I’ll do it. Just… just stop.“

„Thank you! You’re the best!“ Finn jumped over to him with a quick hug before he was bounding out of the room and up the stairs.

Meanwhile, Liam sat on the couch, loathing his very being, yet feeling a small sparkle of excitement at being able to be there for both Quinn and the baby when they needed him. This was going to be interesting.

 

-|-

 

„Good practice, boys!“ screamed Coach Tanaka through the megaphone, „Before you hit the showers, meet me in the locker room. I have an anouncment.“

Gasping for breath, Liam took off his helmet as his teammates passed by him, patting him on the back. Today, he was able to score three touchdowns, even though Finn’s passes were always too wide or too short. He was about to follow them when one Leo Sanchez caught his eye and motioned for the bench beside him.

„Don’t wait up for me. I’ll be right there,“ he called after Mike and Matt, who both turned to him with a confused frown, but didn’t argue as they disappeared inside the school.

Liam walked toward his coach, dragging his feet on the grass to purposefully delay in inevitable. When he sat down, Leo handed him a chilled Gatorade with a smile and a pat on his padded shoulder. The younger Hudson took it gratefully and drank as if he spent months in the desert, his sweaty throat bobbing rapidly.

„Alright, don’t drown yourself, mijo,“ chuckled the Latino man, taking a seat next to him.

An awkward silence settled between them, only the distant sound of a whistle breaking their bubble occasionally. Leo had a contemplative look on his face, his brows furrowed and hands clasped. Liam was just considering running for it when he began speaking.

„Do you know what you’re doing? Huh, mijo, are you sure?“ the coach's eyes were soft and warm with not a hint of accusation in them.

„No,“ the athlete shook his head, his own eyes beginning to sting as he almost crushed the bottle in his grip.

„If you want to talk about it…,“ Leo didn’t get to finish as a six-foot-tall mass of a football player hurled itself on him, Liam’s shoulders shaking as he tried but failed to suppress his sobs.

With a sad smile, Coach Sanchez enveloped the boy to the best of his ability, pressing him closer to his chest. When the shaking stilled, he pulled away slightly, looking Liam right in the eyes.

„How far along is she?“ he asked with a knowing smirk, chuckling when Liam’s face fell in panic, „What? You thought I wouldn’t notice? I may be old, mijo, but I’m not blind.“

„I…,“ the younger Hudson swallowed around the lump in his throat, rubbing his hands on his thighs, „I don’t know. We didn’t go to the doctor, yet. Finn’s taking us next week.“

„Finn? What does he have to do with this?“ a blush sprouted on Liam’s cheeks as he hung his head in embarrassment.

„Quinn’s his girlfriend. Has been for a year now.“

„Ah,“ hummed Leo in understanding, rubbing his goatee, „And I guess she’ll say the baby is his too, huh?“

„Yeah,“ sighed Liam, pushing himself away and rubbing his face tiredly, „I don’t know what to do.“

„What do you want to do?“ offered the coach, making his protegé stop and think for a moment.

„I want to be there for her. For the both of them,“ decided the young athlete, his voice now strong and determined, „No matter what she decides, I want to be there.“

„Well,“ Leo slapped his lap and stood up with a satisfied groan, „My work here is done.“

„What?“ glanced up Liam with bewilderment, „That’s it?“

„You already know what you want, mijo, now you just have to tell her,“ the Latino grinned from ear to eat, patting Liam’s cheek, „Easy, no?“

With those parting words, he left with a pep in his step as he greeted the fuming Sue he passed on the way, not even flinching when she growled.

„Easy? She’s a man-eater!“

 

-|-

 

Quinn was walking through the hallway, feeling as small as she could at the moment. Everybody still moved out of her way, parting like the Red Sea at her feet, but to her, it seemed as if everyone observed her like an animal at the zoo. Was she already showing? Did they know? No, that was impossible.

She was broken from her unpleasant thoughts when Puck’s face popped up in front of her, his smirk making her stomach churn.

„Sup, MILF,“ he greeted her, making her resist the urge to slap him right there.

„Leave me alone,“ she walked past him, but he was relentless and apparently stupid as he followed her.

„Who’s the daddy?“ he asked, his lips curling at the way she flinched, „I just think it’s kind of weird if it’s Finn’s. I know for a fact that you didn’t do it with him.“

„How can you be so sure?“ she bit out, trying to regain her confidence.

„Finn’s my boy,“ scoffed Puck as if it was obvious, „He would’ve told me.“

„You make a habit of flirting with your boy’s girlfriends?“ she went to stomp away, but to her horror, Puck raised his arms and began shouting for the whole hallway to hear.

„Well, call the Vatican! We got ourselves another immaculate conception,“ Quinn quickly took him by his arm and dragged him to the side to quieten him down, „Who the hell is the dad?“

„I won’t tell you,“ she practically growled, her green eyes narrowed in a glower.

„My dad’s a deadbeat and I won’t allow that to happen to that baby too,“ spoke Puck fiercely, for the first time in his life caring about anything else but himself.

„I won’t tell,“ persisted the blonde cheerleader, but her gaze betrayed her as it slid down the hallway, making Puck turn.

His eyes widened when he saw Liam leaning on the lockers, chatting with Maddy, whose shoulders were covered by his letterman jacket. The pair laughed together, the redheaded girl putting her arm on the running back’s bicep casually.

„No shit,“ chuckled Puck in disbelief, facing Quinn, whose eyes began to water, „Finn’s little brother? Well, I guess he’s not so little if he can knock up the chastity queen.“

„You can’t tell anyone, especially Finn,“ she begged him desperately, „Please?“

Puck seemed to contemplate it, biting his cheek as he thought over the dilemma. But his demeanour softened when he took in Quinn, really took her in, noticing the circles under her eyes and the shake in her hands.

„He’ll take care of you. He has a good job at the garage,“ he frowned when Quinn scoffed dismissively.

„We live in Ohio. I slept with him because I was drunk, he looked cute and I felt fat that day,“ she bit her lip, brushing away the stray tear that rolled down her cheek, „But it was a mistake. He’s a Lima loser and he’s always gonna be a Lima loser.“

Then she side-stepped him and ran away, Puck looking after her with worry, but his eyes met Liam’s concerned ones. The running back stomped his way to him and slammed him to the wall with a fury in his eyes. Puck never noticed how similar they were to Quinn’s until now.

„What did you say to her?“ gritted out the younger Hudson, his hands curled into fists on Puck’s shirt.

„I just asked her what kind of onesie I should buy for the baby shower,“ teased Noah, enjoying the panic that seeped onto Liam’s face.

„What?“ Puck used his moment of lapse in attention and pushed him back, fixing his jacket smugly.

„You heard me, baby daddy,“ snickered the mohawked football player, „You should go check on your baby mama.“

Although he hated to admit it, Puck was right. The overprotective urge won over the anger Liam felt and soon, he was stumbling out of the door into the storm outside, searching the parking lot for Quinn’s car. He felt his shoulders sag in relief when he saw the red Volkswagen Beetle at the side, but he frowned when he noticed Quinn wasn’t alone.

There was a blonde woman with her, handing her some sort of a bottle. Not caring for the heavy downpour, he rushed across the parking lot until he reached the vehicle, his clothes soaked at this point. Before he could even open the passenger’s door, the woman stepped out, eyeing him curiously.

„Well, hello,“ her smirk unsettled Liam, especially when her eyes lingered on his face, „It’s good to know that it will have great genetics.“

Liam blinked bewildered, not knowing how to reply as the stranger side-stepped him and left the school’s lot. The athlete shook himself out of his shock and took her previous seat, breaking Quinn out of her thoughts with a slam of the door.

„What the hell are you doing here?“ bristled the cheerleader, glancing around, even though no one was mad enough to be outside in this weather, „What if somebody sees us?“

„They won’t,“ Liam reassured her, reaching for her hand, but she flinched away, „What was that about? What did she want?“

„The baby,“ Quinn wiped away her tears, hoping that her mascara wasn’t as ruined as she thought it was, „She wants to adopt him.“

„And what do you want?“ when she didn’t reply, he tried again, crouching a bit to see her better, „Quinn?“

„I don’t fucking know!“ screeched the blonde, slamming her hand into the steering wheel and recoiling painfully.

Silence stretched in the car, nothing but the sound of rain pelting the roof keeping them company. Liam ran a hand through his hair, pushing away the dripping strands out of his forehead, a small smile playing on the corners of his lips.

„What?“ asked Quinn self-consciously, noticing his amusement, „What’s so funny?“

„You said him,“ he met her gaze, his green eyes soft and his dimple showing, „You think it’s a boy?“

„So what if I do?“ she bit back playfully, rolling her own emerald eyes, „Call it a maternal instinct or something.“

„I think it’s a girl. I have a hunch,“ and that started a heated, yet friendly argument about the gender of their baby, that only ended when Carol called Liam, all concerned about his whereabouts.

Quinn offered to take Liam home, which he accepted gratefully. And on her drive back, she couldn’t keep the smile off her face, no matter how much she tried.

 

-|-

 

Although it wasn’t anything like track meets, Liam still enjoyed the atmosphere of the football games. The roaring crowds got his adrenaline pumping, making him grin as Mike and Matt strutted up to him with smiles on their faces.

„We’ll destroy them out there,“ bragged Mike, punching Liam’s shoulder repeatedly, earning himself a laugh from his best friend, who swatted at him playfully.

„Don’t get cocky, bud,“ Matt tried calming him down, but the younger Hudson trapped Mike in a headlock and ruffled his spiky hair.

„Yeah, don’t get cocky, Mikey,“ teased the running back, chuckling when the Chang boy pushed him back.

They were broken out of their antics by the siren playing a horrible rendition of the US national anthem, causing them to wince. The fans clapped as the football team gathered on the field, Finn taking the lead in their usual pre-game speech.

„Well, I think we, uh, really came together this week as a team,“ he began awkwardly as the rest of the players glared at the ground.

Earlier this week, the entire football team had to attend a dance rehearsal coached by Kurt himself. Liam almost doubled over when Mike told him the news, more excited than the rest of their teammates. It seemed that some still didn’t forgive their quarterback.

„Yeah, a gay team,“ scoffed Puck, whose ego probably took the biggest hit, „A big gay team of dancing gays.“

„Hey, man, cut it out!“ the younger Hudson defended his brother, punching Puck’s shoulder pad.

The mohawked boy straightened his shoulders, about to advance, but thankfully Azimio stepped in, for once being the one to calm the situation down instead of escalating it.

„Seriously, Finn, it was fun in practice and all, but we can’t do that out here in front of everybody,“ as the rest of the team hummed in agreement, Finn’s confidence crumbled, „It’ll make us even more of a joke.“

Avoiding Kurt’s stare, the quarterback put on his helmet and stalked off from the huddle, the Titans following him. As Liam passed him, he patted his back with a mournful smile just as the other team also ran on the field. The cheering grew louder, the fans standing up on the bleachers as the cheerleaders led them with chants.

„All right, divert right,“ instructed Finn, crouching down near the 50-yard line as the team listened with rapt attention, „87 on me. Break!“

As they lined up into their starting position, Liam kneeling in the very back, his eyes caught Quinn’s for a brief moment. The running back could feel sweat dripping down his face, smearing his warpaint in the heat of the reflectors, but still, he tried to smile kindly. She immediately glanced away, beginning another cheer with slightly redder cheeks.

„Yo, QB! Your mama’s so fat, the back of her neck looks like a pack of hot dogs!“ taunted the opposite team’s quarterback, making Liam clench his gloved fists as the referee blew the whistle, „Give me some ketchup!“

„Down, set, hut!“ Finn took the ball from the player in front of him, their defensive doing their best to block anyone trying to get near him as he ran back, but even then he got tackled soon after.

The crowd booed as the rest of their plays ended the same way, Liam gritting his teeth in frustration as he didn’t get even close to scoring. The game progressed this way with the Titans losing six points to their opponents.

„Jordan versus Bird on one!“ this time, Liam managed to run out of the huddle and make his way toward the 20-yard line, but before Finn could even throw him the ball, he slammed on the ground harshly.

It was nearing the end of the 4th quarter and the score hasn’t changed. Most of the team had already given up as the last seconds ticked by, but when Finn met his brother’s gaze, he gave him a determined nod. With his heart nearly beating out of his chest, the quarterback called time out nearly a second before the end of the game.

„What’s happening?“ asked Mike as the Triple Trouble watched Puck argue with Finn a few paces away.

„I have no idea,“ muttered Liam back, wincing slightly when the wide receiver turned to their opponents, an irritated scowl marring his face.

„Hey, ankle grabber,“ the monster of a player stopped with his jeering, his jaw falling open with shock, „I had sex with your mother. No, seriously… I cleaned your pool and then I had sex with her in your bed. Nice Star Wars sheets.“

The player took a few steps back as his teammates gathered around him, comforting him to the best of their ability. Liam chuckled at the exchange as he and the rest of Triple Trouble approached the two boys, patting Puck’s shoulder pads.

„Nice one,“ praised him the younger Hudson, shaking his head in amusement, „Still gross, but for once, nice.“

„I know,“ boasted the mohawked player, puffing his chest out proudly before turning to his quarterback, „Let’s do it, Captain.“

„Come on, huddle up!“ shouted Finn after a brief moment with his best friend, calling his team to his side, „Huddle up. Okay, Ring On It on three.“

They all seemed hesitant, sharing bewildered looks with those beside them, but Liam just wouldn’t let it slide. He clapped his hands loudly, hollering for everyone to hear and soon the rest joined in.

„Yeah! All right?“ encouraged Finn, joining their war cry, „Come on! On three! One, two, three, break!“

As they walked toward the centre line, a strange mix of anticipation and nervousness filled the younger Hudson. He winked at Santana when she shot him a confused look, making her glare at him as he laughed.

„Hut one! Two! Three! Let’s hit it!“ instead of snapping the ball, Finn pointed to the music booth, getting thumbs up from the boys running it as they pressed play.

A screeching feedback echoed from the ancient sirens before Single Ladies began to play, confusing everyone but the McKinley Titans. Kurt watched on in awe as one by one the football players began to dance his routine while their opponents muttered among themselves. He chuckled when he noticed the crowds and even Coach Tanaka joining in.

Liam looked to be having the time of his life, proudly jutting out his hips as he playfully pointed at the giggling cheerleaders, Maddy going as far as blowing him a kiss, her cheeks flushed. Overall, the team did well, hitting the beat and when the time came, Finn called the play, throwing the ball as Liam rushed through the sea of shell-shocked players easily.

Nobody dared to even breathe as the ball soared through the air, only for Liam to catch it right before the end zone, the blue-jerseyed players falling over themselves in their attempt to catch him. He slammed the ball onto the ground, jumping in his excitement as the fans went completely wild.

But soon, they all quietened once again as Kurt jogged onto the field, the stand in his hand. He looked positively terrified, but Liam tried to soothe him with a smile as he helped him set up. He motioned for him to take some deep breaths before gesturing for the tech guys to start the music.

Kurt immersed himself in the melody, his body moving on its own accord as the defenders kept his field as wide as possible. When he kicked the ball, not a single sound could be heard except for the whistle that signalled a point. Then all hell broke loose as Kurt was drowned with players until Mike and Matt hoisted him on their shoulders.

At that moment Liam felt invincible and so overcome with joy, that he jogged over to the cheerleaders. On his way there, he passed Quinn locked in a passionate embrace with Finn, but before his heart could squeeze painfully, he beelined for grinning Maddy. He picked her up by her hips and twirled her around, laughing carelessly before he set her down, gulping as he brushed her red hair off her face.

„You were fantastic out there,“ she breathed out, scrunching her freckled nose when he gazed into her eyes with intensity.

„I…I don’t want to talk about that,“ he whispered, but they were so close that she could hear him over the screaming crowd.

„Then what do you wanna talk about,“ she teased, running her hands up his chest and locking them behind his neck.

Before she could react, he pulled her into a deep kiss, making her gasp before leaning into it. When they parted, they both had beaming smiles on their faces as the noise of the outside world rushed in, bursting their bubble.

„Good talk,“ joked Maddy, squealing when Liam kissed her again, this time lifting her up.

Chapter 5: Rhodes Not Taken

The arcade was buzzing with colourful energy, the kids strolling its halls laughing and hollering at their friends. Amidst them stood Liam, his brown hair combed into a neat wave and dressed in a black wrangler jacket, with two cups of soda in his hands. He kept glancing around, standing on his tiptoes to see over the rushing crowd until his face lit up with a smile as the red mane flashed into his vision.

When he picked Maddy up, his nerves were at their all-time high and he kept stumbling over his words, but the girl simply giggled, calling him adorable and introducing him to her parents. Mr and Mrs Williams absolutely adored him, inviting him for dinner on Friday, Maddy’s mother going as far as promising to make her famous apple pie to convince him to agree.

Now, though he still felt the lingering anxiety, he was far more relaxed as he wrapped an arm around her shoulders, leaning down to be heard over the dinging of the pinball machine.

„Are you having fun?“

„Yeah, I haven’t been here for ages,“ the redheaded cheerleader took one of the cups out of his grasp, twirling the straw as she walked backwards, „But now I’m gonna kick your ass in Pac-Man.“

„Oh, we’ll see about that,“ chuckled the athlete, quickening his strides to catch up with the vixen, „Get ready to go down!“

 

-|-

 

With the invitationals right around the corner, the New Directions were hard at work, rehearsing nearly every day. Because Rachel left the club to be the lead in the school’s rendition of Cabaret, her role practically fell into Quinn’s lap. Not that she minded, singing while staring lovingly into her boyfriend’s eyes.

Liam tried to hide his distaste for the whole situation, but after Santana kicked him for the third time with a glare, he supposed that acting wasn’t his forte. On the bright side of things, after the winning game last week, Mike and Matt joined the New Directions along with Puck.

Currently, the Triple Trouble was swaying in the back of the room as the band played the opening notes of Don’t Stop Believing, the Glee Club soon joining in. Mr Shue nodded his head to the beat in the front, chuckling when Mike shimmied his shoulders playfully, but everyone froze when Quinn ran out of the room, covering her mouth with her hand.

„Quinn, you okay?“ the teacher called after her, but when his only reply was the slamming of the door, he turned to Finn for an explanation.

„I think she just had a bad breakfast burrito,“ excused the quarterback lamely, much to the amusement of the room.

Liam shook his head, fighting with himself not to follow her, his leg practically twitching.

„Can we please talk about the giant elephant in the room?“ Kurt interrupted the awkward silence that settled over the classroom and it seemed that Santana just couldn’t pass up the opportunity to make fun of him.

„Your sexuality?“ she bit out, gasping in a feint offence when Liam rammed his elbow into her side with a disapproving frown.

„Rachel,“ the Hummel boy promptly ignored her, though he couldn’t hold back the sidelong glance he sent her, „We can’t do it without her.“

„That’s not true,“ protested Mr Shue, but even he sounded as unconvinced as they felt, „We may have to layer Santana and Mercedes over Quinn’s solo, but… we’ll be fine.“

„Maybe for the invitationals, but not for the sectionals and certainly not for the regionals,“ worried Artie, clutching his electric guitar, which Liam had to admit was absolutely gorgeous, to his chest.

„The wheelchair kid’s right,“ shrugged Puck from the back, „That Rachel chick makes me wanna light myself on fire, but she can sing.“

Liam winced at Noah’s wording, but in the end, he could see his point. One time after rehearsal the diva hunted him down in the hallway and bugged him about improving his range. He made his quick retreat when she began demonstrating her favourite oral exercises to warm up her vocal cords. He had never run so fast in his life.

„Rachel left, guys. She’s gone. Now, if we want to make this thing work, we can’t look back,“ William tried to give them a rousing speech, but when all of the students just stared at him blankly, he waved them off, „All right, take five, guys.“

Santana scoffed at the poor display of leadership, slumping beside Liam in one of the seats. Before she could let something snarky out of her mouth, Brittany bounded over to them, wrapping herself around the running back.

„What’s got you so excited, Britt Britt?“ chuckled Liam, hugging her tighter and laying his head on her shoulder.

He couldn’t help but smirk in smug satisfaction as Santana practically sneered at him for the action so he teasingly wiggled his eyebrows to bring the point home. He was digging a grave for himself anyway, might as well get there faster.

„Lord Tubbington finally stopped betting on horse races in Saudi Arabia,“ she then frowned slightly, toying with the laces of Liam’s hoodie, „Though I think he invested in BitCoin again, but oh well.“

Both Santana and he had an expression of soft exasperation on their faces, smiling at their friend while she rambled about her cat’s numerous addictions. And before they knew it, the rehearsal ended and they were free to go home for the night.

 

-|-

 

The clock ticked by, irritating Quinn’s pounding head even further along with Mr Shue’s babbling in Spanish. According to Santana’s numerous complaints on the subject, that man didn’t know a single thing about their culture, only promoting harmful stereotypes. She sighed tiredly, rubbing her eyes, but before she could start boredly doodling in her notebook again, something landed on her desk, startling her slightly.

It was an origami in the shape of a frog, the edges slightly uneven and frayed, but it was still adorable. She surveyed the classroom, trying to find the instigator, the edges of her lips curling upwards when she caught Liam glancing at her from the corner of his eye, not at all as sneaky as he thought he was. With a quiet giggle, she returned to her binder, a yelp escaping her when another one jumped on the paper.

„What?“ she mouthed at the running back, frowning in annoyance, but her sparkling green eyes told another story.

He motioned for her to open it, his own table littered with torn-up paper, before he turned to the front, absentmindedly chewing the end of his pencil. She reluctantly unravelled the carefully folded note, reading the message written in a large loopy cursive.

„Where do rainbows go when they’ve been bad?“

The cheerleader furrowed her brows, reading the line once more, but she didn’t find any hidden meaning behind it. It was just a dumb question. Even then she reached for her red gel pen and jotted down her reply before throwing it back.

„I don’t know. Where?“

She didn’t have to wait long before she received a reply, this one in the shape of a butterfly. With more excitement than she’d like to admit she unwrapped it, almost failing to suppress the snort that escaped her when she read the answer.

„They go to prism. To reflect on what they’ve done.“

It was accompanied by a small sun drawn by the side, something so simple yet so Liam at the same time. She didn’t even get a chance to turn to her doodlings when another origami fell on her desktop, a cute turtle blocking her page.

„Are you feeling a bit better? I have ginger ale in my locker if you want some.“

She felt a blush warm up her face because, of course, he noticed, he always did. He worried about the sharpness of her cheekbones when Coach Sylvester nearly drove them ragged before the Nationals and he despised the purple circles under her eyes whenever she had another sleepless night, despite experiencing one himself more often than not. He was always there, he always cared.

Instead of swooning any further, she sent him a shy smile, one he replied with his own. Clearing out her throat of all the uncomfortable emotions that built up in her chest, she tried to focus back on the lesson, although the barrage of cute notes didn’t stop until the bell rang. And she couldn’t help but melt every time a paper animal landed on her desk.

 

-|-

 

By this point, Liam wasn’t sure if it was exhaustion-induced hallucination or if he woke in some strange simulation, but the badly suppressed snickers from Santana and Mike’s confused question made it all the more real. Today, Mr Shue decided to bring his old classmate to meet the Glee Club, which at first seemed sweet, but none of them could have guessed what was the real reason behind her visit.

„Guys, I’d like to introduce you to someone very special. This is April Rhodes,“ the petite blonde waved at them sweetly, her smile nearly splitting her face in half, „She’s our newest member.“

April clicked her tongue and shot finger guns at them, but the club didn’t seem so amused, except for Puck, who was more than eager to retaliate. Liam leaned closer to Santana, whispering in her ear, but not taking his eyes off the woman.

„Are you seeing what I’m seeing?“ he asked, making the Latina nod her head slowly.

„A terribly dressed cougar? Sure am,“ the running back chuckled at her underhanded insult, shaking his head before once again paying attention to the conversation at hand.

„Mr Shuester? This seems like a terrible idea,“ Artie put in his input, but before he could even finish, their teacher was rearing up for protest.

„April is a great singer,“ he tried to convince them, but it seemed that his friend wasn’t as bothered about the impression she left, smirking Puck’s way suggestively, „And she never graduated.“

„We appreciate what you’re trying to do, but she’s no Rachel,“ explained Mercedes sheepishly, but even then, April seemed pretty offended by the implication.

„Who’s Rachel?“ she asked, her voice gravely as if she smoked a pack a day.

„Sh-she’s kind of our star,“ answered Tina, not meeting her eyes.

„Your star, eh?“ the blonde woman looked around dramatically, „Well, where is she?“

Liam groaned, sinking further into his seat and hiding his face in his hands. During the last rehearsal, all he heard was whining about how success was impossible without Rachel, yet when she was here, they could have all ripped themselves apart for a solo.

„She left,“ bit out Kurt bitterly, but his tone turned wistful at the end, „To be the lead in Cabaret.“

April chuckled confidently, shrugging off her white jacket if it could even be called that thanks to the amount of fabric it was made of. Liam straightened in his seat when she turned to their pianist, kind of excited for a performance instead of the endless bleating he witnessed in the past half an hour.

„Hey, Tinkles, give me Maybe This Time in B flat,“ she threw the jacket at bewildered Mr Shue at the same time as she narrowed her eyes at Brat, „And don’t let me catch you snoozing.“

April began shy at first, blushing underneath Will’s soft gaze, but she soon became more confident, swaying to the tunes of the piano as she gave them an amazing performance. If Liam unfocused his eyes, he could almost imagine a shine of spotlight on the blonde singer as she belted out the final notes, leaving them all in complete awe.

Everyone in the room sat with their mouths gaping in astonishment, until Liam clapped his hands, breaking them all out of the stupor as they joined him.

„Stick that in your pipe and smoke it,“ snarked April, fixing her dress straps and shooting the grinning running back a cheeky wink.

 The brunette couldn’t help but chuckle softly when he caught Kurt drying his tears in the front row, sniffling quietly.

 

-|-

 

Liam‘s foot nervously tapped the ground as he kept biting his nails, his green eyes anxiously scanning the crowded hallway. In his other hand, he held a single red rose, nearly crushing the stem of the delicate flower with the strength of his grip.

He froze the moment he saw the telltale red mane of hair approaching him from around the corner, Maddy surrounded by her friends, all of them dressed in cheerleader uniforms. She threw her head back and laughed at something one of them said, but her smile softened when she noticed the fidgeting athlete by her locker, avoiding her gaze.

„Go ahead without me, I’ll catch up,“ she told her group before sauntering up to Liam, stopping a head short in front of him, „Hey, you.“

„Hi,“ squeaked out the Hudson before clearing his throat, trying it once again and now more calmly, „Hey.“

The cheerleader waited for a moment for him to continue, but when he just stared at her, she tilted her head to the side with a curious hum.

„Did you need something or…“ she broke off, raising her eyebrows at the way he seemed to pale even more, „Jesus, Liam, you look like you’re gonna pass out.“

„I…I’m fine, everything’s fine,“ he gulped down his nerves, but the next words died on his tongue, hiding the rose behind his back, „I wanted to ask if… if…“

Maddy waited patiently, smiling at him sweetly as he stammered over his words. Finally, Liam breathed out, his shoulders deflating as blush coated his cheeks. He hung his head low, kicking the worn linoleum with his beat-down sneakers, feeling completely disappointed in himself.

„I wanted to ask if you knew… when’s the game next week?“ it was a dumb question, they both knew it, because Liam had all his games and track meets marked on the little calendar he hung in his locker, but even then she simply shrugged and answered honestly.

„Friday, I think. That’s what got you so worked up?“ she chuckled lowly, her blue eyes narrowing in slight disbelief.

„Y…yeah,“ he nodded, his messy hair falling into his face so he brushed it off, „I’m just excited to get on the field again.“

„Okay, you dork,“ Maddy patted his chest good-naturedly, leaning up on her tiptoes to peck his cheek, „I gotta go, but I’ll catch you later?“

Then, without waiting for his answer, she turned around, her ginger hair swishing behind her as she walked in the direction her friends went. Liam groaned when she was out of sight, slamming his head into the locker behind him as he berated himself.

„Trouble in paradise?“ he nearly screamed when April’s face appeared beside him, grinning madly as her scarily blue eyes twinkled.

„Uh, no,“ when the older woman scoffed in disbelief, he thought about his answer again and relented, „I’m just…I’m trying to ask Maddy to be my girlfriend, but every time I get even close I chicken out.“

In despair, Liam raked a hand through his hair, mussing it even further. April cooed sympathetically, fixing his collar and patting his arms.

„A pretty boy like you shouldn’t sulk,“ she then pinched his cheek, snickering at his bewildered look, „What? For the love of God, aren’t you in Glee Club? Just serenade her and she’ll fall right into your arms. I know what I’m talking about. It’s how my first husband won me over.“

Liam’s whole face brightened and without a second thought he ran off in the direction of the choir room, the rose long forgotten on the floor. April picked it up and twirled it between her fingers, handing it to a surprised Quinn when she passed her on her way back.

 

-|-

 

„Liam? You there?“ called out Maddy, stepping into the dark auditorium.

A few minutes ago, she received a vague text from the running back, asking her to come meet him before she drove home. At first, she was excited, enjoying any minute with the kind-hearted jock, but now as the clicking of the heels echoes across the eerily quiet room, she felt like the final victim in an 80’s horror movie.

She turned to the rows of padded seats, running a finger along the railing in the front when a sudden strumming of the guitar strings startled her. She whirled around, her panicked grimace melting at the sight of Liam, sitting on a stool as a spotlight shined down on him, nervously yet expertly playing the electric guitar he had propped up against his thigh.

 

Kiss me, out of bearded barley

Nightly, beside the green, green grass

Swing, swing, swing the spinning step

You wear those shoes and I will wear that dress

 

She couldn’t help but giggle at his grimace when he fully realised the lyrics, but he shrugged and pushed through it, smiling when Maddy began to sway along.

 

Oh, kiss me, beneath the milky twilight

Lead me out on the moonlit floor

Lift your open hand

Strike up the band and make the fireflies dance

Silver moon’s sparkling

So kiss me

 

Slowly, she made her way up the stairs, swooning as his rich smooth voice sang the words, his eyes burning into her intently. When she finally reached him, she laid her head on his shoulders, smiling softly when he pressed a tender kiss to her temple.

 

Kiss me down by the broken tree house

Swing me, upon its hanging tyre

Bring, bring, bring your flowered hat

We’ll take the trail marked up on your father’s map

 

Oh, kiss me, beneath the milky twilight

Lead me out on the moonlit floor

Lift your open hand

Strike up the band and make the fireflies dance

Silver moon’s sparkling

So kiss me

 

Liam’s breathing stuttered slightly when she began toying with the curls on his nape, her nails scratching slightly as her hot breath washed over his cheek. He swallowed nervously, meeting her gaze with intensity as they grinned at each other like two idiots.

With a flourish, he stilled the stings, the song coming to an end as they let the crackling silence linger. Liam then licked his suddenly dry lips and started talking, not daring to be any louder than a whisper.

„Maddy Williams, will you be my girlfriend?“ he could feel the nerves rising in his chest when she didn’t answer, but when she reached up her hand and brushed away a wayward strand off his face, a small spark of hopefulness overpowered his worries.

„I would love nothing more,“ springing up from the chair, he scooped her up in his arms, silencing her elated squeal with a deep kiss, rendering her to mush.

As they pulled away, he didn’t let her go, excitedly peppering her face with small pecks as she laughed, throwing her head back. And for a small moment, all of his troubles were miles away.

 

So kiss me

 

-|-

 

Humming cheerfully, Liam jumped out of the old truck he borrowed from Burt, hurrying to the bed to pick up the groceries he bought. His grandmother’s garden was always the pride of the neighbourhood, thanks to no shortage of Olivia’s love, but lately, it was getting harder for her to tend to it, causing the magnolia blooms to wilt as weeds grew amidst the carnations.

„Gran! I’m back,“ with his arms laden with heavy plastic bags, Liam gently kicked open the back door he knew was always kept unlocked in case any stray was cold outside.

The house was as homely as one could imagine it, the smell of freshly baked biscuits wafting through the air as this week's unfinished crossword puzzle was laid out on the kitchen table. The young man carefully set the food on the counter before he stored the frozen vegetables in the freezer in case his grandmother forgot again.

When he stood up, his face contorted into a frown. The house was quiet, a bit too quiet. Olivia despite her age was a lively woman and if she didn’t have one of her book club friends over then at least her television was always turned on. But since the moment he stepped inside, he hadn’t heard as much as a creak of the floorboards. With his throat slowly closing with fear, he walked toward the living room, his grandmother’s godawful flowery armchair set up in front of the cold fireplace.

„Gran?“ he called out uncertainly when he could see her grey bob peaking up above the backrest, her knitting needles set aside on the coffee table, „Grandma!“

Much to his relief, Olivia sprung up from her seat, her eyes glossy as she tried to hide something behind her back. She sent him a soft smile, yet there was a hint of sadness in the way her bottom lip wobbled.

„Oh, sorry, I didn’t hear you come in,“ she put whatever she was holding back on the mantel, before scurrying in the kitchen, pecking his cheek on his way there.

Liam looked at the photograph of his grandpa sitting askew on the fireplace, his features eerily similar to the young athlete. In the weathered picture, his grandfather was clad in a Marine uniform, a Purple Heart hanging off his lapel as he grinned at the camera, his dimples on the show. The running back straightened the frame, sighing mournfully before his eyes landed on the pill bottle next to it, the cap still sealed.

He grabbed it and marched back into the kitchen, his jaw set in a tight line. His mood didn’t improve even when he found Olivia flittering around, the groceries already put away as she began preparing dinner. He cleared his throat forcefully, leaning against the doorway with his arms crossed while his grandmother turned to him with a sheepish expression, fixing her apron.

„You haven’t been taking your meds,“ he stated, shaking the pill bottle in his hand, „You know you need to take at least two a day.“

„Oh, Liam, what’s the point?“ said the elderly woman, sitting down heavily on a chair by the window, but her green eyes hadn’t left her grandson.

„What do you mean? The point is so your heart can get better!“ Liam didn’t even realize he raised his voice, panic rising in his chest as he knelt in front of the woman, but soon his tone turned to a painted whisper, „You already had an attack this year. The doctor said another one could…“

He couldn’t force the words out, his throat clogging up with emotions. With a soft, maternal smile, Olivia ran her hand through his hair, patting his cheek before she fixed the collar of his shirt.

„Kill me. Yes,“ Liam flinched as if slapped, pulling away from her thin hands and sitting on the back of his heels, „I’m not afraid of death, Liam. Nor am I afraid of what comes after. I’ve lived a good life, met my soulmate and now is my time to face the judgement at the heavenly gate. If God is gracious, Thomas and I will be reunited again.“

„But what about me? I can’t lose you,“ in his entire life, there wasn’t a time when Olivia wasn’t present, be it his first track meet or his first heartbreak and he couldn’t imagine progressing through adulthood without her.

„You’ll never lose me, sweetie, I’ll always be watching over you,“ she kissed his forehead before pushing on his shoulders, standing up unsteadily from the chair, „Now let’s get started on the supper.“

After a few moments, he joined her, chopping the vegetables in silence, mulling over his own thoughts. She let him, contently singing an old radio tune as she seasoned the meat, expertly moving around the kitchen. When she put everything in the oven, she took two bottles of lemonade out of the fridge and slid one over to Liam after cracking them open.

„Gran? Have you ever done something reckless with Grandpa?“ asked Liam meekly, nursing the cold bottle in his hand and not meeting her knowing gaze.

„Too many times,“ she chuckled at the fond memories, toying with the wedding band she still wore on her ring finger, „One time he convinced me to sneak out and drive to a music festival with him. He promised he’d bring me home by morning and nobody would notice, but on the way there, his car broke and we were stranded in the middle of nowhere.“

„Did you make it to the festival?“

„No, we spent the entire night in the backseat with the radio turned up, listening to Ray Charles. My father nearly ran him out of the town when we called him from a gas station the next day and asked him to pick us up,“ the two Hudsons shared a laugh, shaking their heads at Thomas‘ antics that didn’t change even with his age, „But what brought this on?“

„I did something stupid. Probably the most stupid thing anyone could do,“ admitted Liam nervously, the tips of his cheeks tinging pink, „I…I got a girl pregnant.“

A tense silence settled over them, nothing but the hum of the appliances filling the void. Finally, the athlete raised his head, only to see his grandmother a few feet in front of him with an understanding smile. She must have heard him wrong, she should be bringing down a storm on him by now.

„Even worse,“ he swallowed around the lump lodged in his throat, setting the drink on the counter as he fiddled with his sleeves, „I got Finn’s girlfriend pregnant. And he thinks it’s his.“

„Oh,“ muttered the grandmother, but that was all reaction he garnered from her.

„Just oh?“ his apprehension was replaced by confusion, but soon a pair of spindly arms were wrapped around him, pulling him into a surprisingly strong hug.

„I’m not mad at you,“ reassured him Olivia before sighing tiredly, „What you did was wrong, but it's not my place to judge, it‘s His.“

She then grasped his face in her hands, making sure that she had his full undivided attention as she spoke sternly yet compassionately, not that Liam would even dare to look away.

„But you must remember that a life is a gift that is meant to be cherished. So whatever you do, think of the little one,“ when she saw his rapidly watering eyes, she brought him into her embrace once again, no matter that he was practically a foot taller than her, „Oh, my sweet boy, everything will work out just fine if it is meant to be.“

 

-|-

 

The very next day, a part of the Glee club was lounging around the choir room, waiting for the rest of them to arrive. In a rare moment of shared understanding, Liam sat close to Puck, both of them strumming quiet tunes on their respective guitars, smiling when the melody sounded quite nice.

On the other side of the room, Kurt, Tina, Mercedes and Artie stood around the piano, trying to come up with a reason for Quinn’s discomfort during rehearsals lately. So far, they’ve thrown around ideas like traumatic brain injury or low blood sugar, causing the youngest Hudson to stifle his snickers with the back of his hand.

„Maybe Quinn is lactose intolerant,“ offered Kurt, by far the most realistic of their theories, but they were getting a little too close to Liam’s comfort.

„That doesn’t explain all the crying,“ opposed Artie while Puck scoffed, shaking his head.

The running back sent him a warning look, kicking his leg with his foot, but the mohawked boy simply shrugged with a smirk. Seems like their truce lasted a little shorter than expected.

„Maybe she just doesn’t like the group,“ when Tina proposed her idea, Noah couldn’t hold it any longer and put down his instrument.

„Are you all that stupid?“ Liam had to suppress the urge to groan out loud, the image of bashing the guitar against Puck’s head seeming so tempting at the moment.

Santana, who to this point filed her nails in one of the corners, sent him a suspicious glare when she caught his grimace, for once completely ignoring Brittany’s ramblings. The athlete only managed to shrug, sure that he’d have to come clean to his best friend before she’d forcefully beat it out of him.

„Seriously? I bet you thought that Bert and Ernie were just roommates,“ continued Puck, completely disregarding Liam’s pleading eyes, „Maybe Quinn’s got one in the oven.“

Outraged gasps echoed across the room while the football player casually stood up from his seat, prancing around the piano. Liam would have practically strangled the neck of the guitar if Mike hadn’t taken it out of his grip, probably the only one beside Puck, who pieced the puzzle together.

„Well, who’s the baby daddy?“ retorted Mercedes sassily, finding it hard to believe that the queen of the chastity ball she heard so much about would give it all up for just some high schooler.

„Who do you think?“ Puck’s eyes stopped momentarily on Liam, who seemed to be on the verge of a meltdown, his shoulders shaking with restrained anger.

Santana, ever the perceptive girl, felt her mouth hang open at the implication as a bitter sting of betrayal ran through her veins, but it seemed that she was the only one who noticed. The rest of the room had their attention fixed on the juvenile delinquent, which was probably the reason why Puck had done it in the first place, a smidge of attention to bolster his own bruised ego that it wasn’t him, who conquered the head Cheerio.

„Finn,“ he stated as if it was obvious, brushing away the subtle hint of guilt he felt when the younger Hudson breathed out slowly, Mike squeezing his arm in an act of silent support.

Just as the New Direction reeled from shock, the door to the choir room flew open and Rachel Berry strutted into the space, immediately reminding Liam how much he enjoyed his peace before he joined this wayward group.

„Yes, you’ve heard right. I’m returning to the Glee club,“ she announced boastfully, opening her arms wide, „In lieu of flowers, please send all donations to a socially conscious charity of your choice.“

„Oh, sorry, Your Majesty, I left the roses in my locker,“ snarked the running back, standing up from his seat with a bit too much force before he brushed by Puck, ramming a shoulder into his side on his way out.

Mike and Matt shared a brief panicked look before scrambling after him, tripping over their own two feet.

„This is a hot damn mess,“ whispered Mercedes to Kurt, the two couldn’t be blamed for misunderstanding the reason behind the athlete’s sudden mood change, „Oh, my God.“

„I always thought that Liam had a sweet uncle vibe,“ the flamboyant boy agreed eagerly with her, both of them falling into a fit of snickers at the picture.

„Uh, I’m sorry, I thought I’d be welcomed back with a tad more enthusiasm,“ interrupted them Rachel, quite displeased that there seemed to be more interesting matters than her own comeback.

„Sorry, Glee Club has just been rocked with its first scandal,“ explained Kurt, not at all that apologetic.

„Quinn’s knocked up.“

„And the baby daddy?“ the Hummel boy rounded the piano, soaking up all the drama of the moment as he stood in the middle of the room with his hands on his hips, „Finn.“

 

-|-

 

Liam had a second the pull his hand back before the locker slammed shut, a fuming Latina standing beside him with her jaw set. The boy liked to think that he was quite brave, facing the trials of day-to-day life with unshakable optimism and a smile, but even he felt his knees buckle when finding himself on the receiving end of Santana’s famous glare.

„Do you maybe want to share something with me?“ gritted out the shorter brunette, advancing toward the star athlete, who took a cautious step back.

Thankfully, the corridor was practically abandoned, safe for a few stranglers, who were all immersed in their own activities, so she’d have very few witnesses, who could convict her of murder.

„No?“ Liam’s voice rose in pitch, the simple word coming out more like an unsteady question than an answer.

„Oh, I think you do,“ the boy’s back hit the lockers, making him realise that there was nowhere to run, „You think I’m clueless, huh? Crees que soy totalmente estúpido?!“

„No, it’s not that… I just,“ running his hand through his hair, he sighed in defeat, sinking down to the floor, „Sólo tenía miedo. I just told Mike and Gran, I have no clue how Puck found out.“

„So it’s true? Quinn’s pregnant,“ now properly calmed, Santana sat down beside him, „Shit, that’s messy.“

„You don’t even know the best part,“ Liam couldn’t help but laugh, self-loathing underlining the sound otherwise entirely empty of emotions, „Puck got the father wrong.“

He could practically see the gears turning in Santana’s head, her eyes widening when it all clicked into place. Instead of answering her outright, he graced her with a wry smile and a nod, huffing in amusement at her completely appalled expression.

„Mierda,“ she let out after a moment of processing, finally closing her slack jaw, „Mierda.“

„Yeah.“

„I don’t know if I’m madder that you didn’t tell me that you slept together or that Chang was the first to find out,“ a relieved snort came from the boy, his shoulders practically falling forward by the weight of the burden he had to carry, „Seriously, mano, I’ll always be here for you, even when you are being una rata molesta.“

„Did…did you just call me an annoying rat?“ when she only shrugged, he wrapped an arm around her, pulling her to his side and whispering into her hair, „Love you too, hermosa.“

 

-|-

 

With his spirits lifted after Santana practically wrangled him into a movie night with the help of the other two-thirds of Triple Trouble, Liam felt that he could properly breathe once again, now that he had the support of his friends. When they were halfway in the X-Men marathon, he finally came clean about everything that happened that night and all that followed, of course, sparing them some details to save any scramble of dignity he had left.

This led him to standing in the middle of the choir room with a wide grin, the rest of the Glee Club surrounding the piano as they warmed up for their upcoming invitational performance. All of them were clad in black cowboy shirts with jeans and heavy belts. Liam’s favourite part of the entire outfit, however, was the wide-brimmed hat sitting atop his ruffled hair.

„Why do I get the feeling that you’ll never take it off?“ teased a voice behind his back just as he was admiring the ensemble in the mirror for the hundredth time.

„Well, I’ve decided that West is where my heart belongs,“ he grinned cheekily at Quinn, eliciting a laugh from her as she reached up to straighten the hat, „What can I help you with, ma’am?“

„You’re such a dork,“ she shook her head in amusement, unable to hide the rosiness of her cheeks even if she tried, „I wanted to thank you about the other day. It was really sweet of you to make sure I was okay.“

„Of course. I care about you, Quinn, no matter how much you may hate me,“ his brow furrowed while he reached for her hand, squeezing it three times.

„I could never hate you, Liam,“ she admitted sincerely, her green eyes, a shade darker than his, shining from beneath her long eyelashes, „And I must say that the whole cowboy thing suits you.“

„Why thank you, ma’am. You look quite ravishing yourself,“ he teasingly tipped the hat toward her as they smiled up at each other, only to be interrupted by Mr Shue walking in.

„The house is packed. You guys are going to kick but tonight,“ despite all of their nerves at all times high, they mirrored their teacher’s excitement, „Your first performance in front of a real audience. I can’t wait. You guys are gonna love it.“

A tittering of chatter settled over the room, the club complimenting their outfits and tune amidst themselves, but someone was noticeably missing, if only thanks to the absent smell of liquor.

„Where’s April?“ just as Will asked, the woman in question strutted into the room in a blindingly pink costume, the skirt dangerously short.

„Yee-haw! Right on cue as usual,“ she cackled madly, greeting them with a drunken smile as she walked by them, „Hey, roller-boy. Handsome. Oh, I like the colour.“

When she passed by Liam, she winked at him suggestively, almost tripping over her heels. While the boy seemed completely appalled by the innuendo, Santana couldn’t help but snicker at the look of pure rage that settled over Quinn’s face, filing it away for later teasing.

„Have you been working on the, uh, moves we talked about? You’ve got something right there, on your…“ April sided up to Puck, who preened under her touch before she kissed him right on the mouth, her hat falling with all the rustling.

Will managed to pull her away before things could escalate any further, not that it already wasn’t a sexual harassment lawsuit waiting to happen, but it didn’t seem to deter the drunk woman as she squeezed Kurt’s nose like a clown’s.

„There’s my boy,“ she cooed, running her hands over the teacher’s chest as he stared at her in utter disappointment.

„Are you drunk?“ it was kind of a dumb question, thought Liam, he was pretty sure that he got a bit tipsy by just being in such close proximity to her, „You promised me, you’d sober up for this.“

„When? Last night?“ Will nodded, making the blonde woman smile lazily, „Well, I was drunk. You can’t hold me to that.“

Just as she stumbled out of his grasp and turned to the piano to lead another warm-up, Miss Pillsbury called Mr Shuester outside for a quick word. Liam glanced at Santana, who had a really hard time suppressing her amusement with the entire situation, and mimicked the sound of an explosion, causing her to bust out with a full-blown laughter, not that April seemed to care, fully submerged in her opera-like humming.

 

-|-

 

„Now, ladies and gentlemen, please welcome McKinley High School’s New Directions,“ the announcement of Principal Figgins was met with booming applause, the auditorium filled to the brim.

Thanks to the anticipation coursing through his body, Liam felt particularly fidgety, his fingers twitching on the belt buckle as he stiffly stood in the practised pose. Santana, her hand placed on his shoulder while a big fake smile was painted on her lips squeezed the muscle under her palm reassuringly, despite the corner of her eye also twitching nervously.

Without any other warning, the banjo began to play the first few tunes of Last Name by Carrie Underwood and the rest of the band soon joined in. While April took the lead and began singing, the Glee Club danced in the background, occasionally humming or stepping to the beat. Sure, Liam could hear that they sounded amazing and it seemed that the crowd loved it too, but deep down when he knew that it wasn’t their doing, the victory felt a bit empty.

The younger Hudson tried not to cringe when April ran her hands on his side, brushing against his back, but the grimace melted when Quinn sided up to him to perform their part of the routine. They clicked their heels and twirled around just as they were supposed to, but when the blonde pressed her hand against his chest, they both had a hard time keeping their blush concealed.

Thankfully, the performance soon came to an end, the audience gracing them with a roaring ovation as they all stood in the middle of the stage, chests heaving but bright smiles were painted on their faces, adrenaline buzzing through them.

 

-|-

 

The moment they stepped into the choir room, excited Mike bounded over to Liam, nearly leaping into his arms as they fell to the floor in shrieking laughter. After they calmed down, thanks to Santana threatening them to shave their head if they didn’t get their shit together, they changed into the outfits for their second performance, a midnight blue shirt with blue jeans.

It didn’t take long until Mr Shue joined them, more forlorn than before, not that any of them noticed as Artie eagerly wheeled himself over to his, raising his hand in a high five.

„They loved us!“

„Wh…wh…where’s April?“ asked Tine, when she didn’t see the blonde woman behind him.

„You were right, Mr Shue. She’d massacre Mariah in a diva-off,“ admitted Kurt before returning to drawing eyeliner on Santana’s face.

„April is amazing. But she’s not in the Glee club anymore,“ all conversation halted at the revelation, shocked silence spreading across the room as the students looked at their teacher bewildered, „It…I…I screwed up bringing her here. It was about me and the Glee Club is supposed to be about you guys. You don’t need her to be great.“

„But we need her for the second act,“ protested Mercedes, but Liam shook his head, scoffing.

„No, we don’t! You can sing as well as any April or Rachel,“ his jaw was set tight as he pointed at various members of the group, making all of them smile softly at his attempt to make them feel better, „Santana can bring the house down with her voice. And Kurt…well, Kurt’s just amazing. We already have all the talent we need here!“

„Look,“ William came up behind him and clasped his hand on his shoulder, sighing defeatedly, „I’ll just have to go out there and tell them we had to cut the show short.“

„Didn’t you hear anything I just said?“ the younger Hudson turned to his, frustration written all over his face.

„Liam, you guys were all great,“ the club members‘ heads hung low, Kurt even sniffled softly while Tina enveloped him in a tender hug, „Don’t worry, there will be other performances.“

„Excuse me?“ called out Rachel, stepping into the room after lurking in the doorway for the entirety of the conversation, „I think I might have a solution. In show business, when a star can’t perform, her understudy steps in. I’d be happy to go in for April if you’d let me.“

„Since when are you willing to be an understudy?“ snarked Mercedes, Liam joining her side as he crossed his arms over his chest stubbornly.

„Since I quit the play.“

„Really? Why?“ Kurt’s eyes narrowed at Rachel’s suddenly nervous fidgeting.

„I realised being a star didn’t make me feel as special as being your friend,“ Santana, still sitting on a stool beside the running back, rolled her eyes, causing the boy to snicker quietly, „If I’d let you down when you needed me the most, I’d never forgive myself.“

Liam had to suppress a groan as hope flickered all over the Glee Club’s faces, most of them willing to let Rachel in with this flimsy apology. Thankfully, it seemed that some people still used common sense as the Unholy Trinity didn’t seem as convinced as the rest of them.

„I know all the words to the song,“ the Berry girl continued, her gaze fixated merely on Finn.

„You don’t know the choreography,“ reminded her Quinn harshly, wrapping an arm around her boyfriend’s bicep, which made the diva deflate slightly.

„Then we’re gonna have to give her a lot of help out there,“ decided Finn, finally breaking his silence while Quinn’s features froze, stricken with hurt.

„Go get in your costume.“

Series this work belongs to:

• Part 1 of Quinn Fabray | Glee