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writtenbythevictors · 11 years

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Coffee Date || Huntinn

Tagged: Quinn Fabray and Hunter Clarington

Location: Starbucks near campus

Time: Afternoon

Notes: Quinn and Hunter meet up for coffee and end up having a surprisingly in-depth conversation.

Hunter: At five in the afternoon on a Sunday, Starbucks was one of the only places near campus that was really bustling. Hunter held the door open for a woman and her toddler who were leaving, then made his way into the cafe. Standing near the door, he frowned a little as he looked around, searching for some sign of Quinn. Fortunately, her pink hair stood out almost immediately, and within moments he was pulling out the chair across from her at the table she'd taken. "Good afternoon," Hunter said politely, smiling as he took a seat. "It's nice to meet you in person, Quinn."

Quinn tried to look casual as she waited for her coffee companion to arrive. Awkwardly she changed position in her seat a few times before settling for what felt most natural. She probably looked like a big idiot to anyone if they were watching her. Rolling her eyes, she pulled her phone out and pretended like she was texting one of her five contacts. Hearing the sound of a chair behind pulled out, she looked up taking in the view of Hunter Clarington for the first time. "Uh... yeah, hi." She wasn't sure if he expected her to shake his hand or what, but that would be stupidly formal. Unsure of what to do next, she quickly pushed one of the cups of coffee sitting in front of her towards him. "I didn't poison it."

Hunter blinked slightly, taken aback by the abruptness with which she pushed the coffee toward him. "Thank you," he said quickly, wrapping his fingers around the cup. A grin turned up the corners of his mouth at her words. "Thank you, I appreciate not getting murdered by someone I just met." Hunter took a sip and made a noise of approval. "It's very good, thank you. So, you said you went to the school's fall festival today, right? Did you like it alright?"

Quinn turned her head, giving him a cocky grin. She had figured he'd be offended she had bought his coffee and spewed out some bull shit about being a gentleman, she was really glad he didn't. "At least not yet, I haven't truly decided if I like you or not." Looking to her own cup, she picked it up and took a small sip before placing it back on the table. "Yeah, Finn took me to get donuts and kept me away from all the face painted creeps... How was it for you? Enjoy escorting around that weird little girl that's obsessed with my hair?"

Hunter relished being a gentleman whenever the opportunity arose, but from his mother especially and to some degree from his sister he also had an appreciation for women who preferred to be independent. He took another slow draw on his coffee as she spoke, his grey-green eyes bright as they rested on her face over the rim of the cup. Swallowing, he arched a brow. "Antonetta? Yes, I did. She seems a bit naive and according to her she gets lost easily, so I was happy to be her chaperon, as it were. Aside from that though, the festival was pretty entertaining. Although.. hopefully it isn't too forward to say, but I'm enjoying myself more right now than I did there," he added, smiling a little playfully.

Quinn was surprised by his comment. He had just gotten here, how could he possibly be enjoying her company more than being at the festival with his real friends? The comment made her blush, as she looked down shaking her head. Quinn Fabray doesn't blush. Ever. "It must have not been exactly your thing then, huh?" Looking back to meet his eyes, she gave him a rare smile. "And just why are you enjoying yourself more now, Mr. Clarington? Is it the coffee or the company?"

Hunter watched her face closely, though his own expression was still casual, and caught the fleeting sight of a blush before she looked down. Smiling a little more softly to himself, he returned to his coffee and added some raw sugar from a few packets sitting in a container on the table. "I suppose not. I'm not so much into hayrides and getting my face painted, you know, being an adult and all." Stirring his drink, Hunter thought about her question for a moment before answering, in a tone as playful as before, "The coffee is excellent, but I was referring to your company. I like a challenge, you see, and you've been so open about disliking me that I think I'm going to have a great deal of fun attempting to change your mind."

Quinn Lifting her hand up, she ran it through her pink hair considering for a moment everything he said. "Don't you think you'd look cute with a pumpkin painted on your face?" She had forgotten about their age difference. It was only slight, the only difference was that he could purchase alcohol and where she could not he could deny doing it for her. Even though she had mocked him for being so uptight about it, she had to admire that he stuck by his morals. Maybe it wasn't just all a facade he was putting on for show. Biting her lip, she traced the lid of her coffee with one finger. "and once the challenge is over? Will I never hear from you again? That doesn't seem like a very good friendship."

Hunter could barely keep his eyes off her, off the way she tucked her hair behind her ear - a surprisingly soft gesture given the hardness of her general appearance - or the way she ran her finger delicately around the edge of her cup. He'd had an inkling of it when they'd talked before, but now the assertion that there was something much more than met the eye beneath the surface of this pink-haired rebel was growing stronger every moment. Hunter's smile faded a little before reviving, and his eyes were more serious than before when he answered, "Of course not. Then we'll be friends, and good ones I hope. But I don't drop people once I've put effort into making them like me; I like to keep them around for a good long while after that. In fact.. I'd be far more worried about you being the one to drop me."

Quinn "And is it normal for you to make a project of making every person your friend?" Quinn leaned slightly forward, her eyes studying his face. She wanted to find some flaw in him. It wasn't fair for one person to be so handsome and ridiculously charming and so completely out of reach for someone like her. Breaking her stare, she moved to sit a little straighter. "If I considered you my friend being dropped isn't something you'd have to worry about. I don't really let that many people into my life to begin with, you on the other hand already seem to have a lot of friends." Meeting his glance again she added, "I'm glad we're doing this, honestly I was expecting you to be fake or a jerk and I guess it's good to know that not everyone is an ass like I had assumed."

Hunter pulled a thoughtful expression and eventually shook his head. "Actually, no. Usually if someone's rude to me I just write them off. Disrespect and bad manners are something of a pet peeve of mine, and if someone doesn't have them I normally can't stand talking to them at all. You're a special case.. not to make you feel self-conscious or anything," he added quickly, not wanting to offend. "It's just.. no one's ever told me they flat-out disliked me before, but instead of annoying me, I suppose I just found it sort of.. interesting? I'm not sure what word to use, but I didn't feel as though I wanted to ignore you after that." Hunter's features pulled into a slight frown that puckered the little space between his eyebrows. "I have.. people with whom I'm friendly, but I'm not sure 'friends' is exactly the way I'd describe them. I enjoy talking to most people and I like to be helpful when I can, but I don't make genuine friends very easily. If I had a problem.. I can't think of anyone at this school I'd tell about it. I'm just.. more private than that. I don't know. Being friendly has never been a problem for me though. You thought I was going to be a jerk?" He stared at her, and was momentarily at a loss for what to say. Swallowing a little, Hunter finally tilted his head. "Then I'm glad to be proving you wrong.. I hope?"

Quinn "Being disrespectful and having bad manners is kinda my forte." Smiling, she grabbed a hold of her coffee, but didn't bring it to her lips. Quinn's eyes glimmered mischievously. She never really truly disliked anyone, it was just her thing to write others off as quickly as possible. Sure some actually irritated her, but Hunter was not one of them. With him it was more of a teasing thing than an actual dislike. Either way it worked in her favor, getting his attention for the moment at least. "It's hard for me to like others. I could go on about the details of why, but it's nothing really something you'd want to hear about. I guess I just had a bad experience or two." Shrugging her shoulders, Quinn brought her drink to her lips, swallowing slowly as she watched him. She hoped it really wasn't noticeable how she had hardly stopped looking at him since he had arrived. Setting the cup back down, she twisted the ring around her finger. "And you think we could be genuine friends? If we're going to start at all, we might as well go all in right? Of course things like that take time and yeah, I understand where you're coming from. I don't really share myself with others in any way, but you can't really plan on who you connect with, it just sorta of happens. " Unless you were her and kept everyone at an arm's length to make sure those connections never formed. She just wasn't sure she could be true friends with him or whatever it is he would want, something like that was hard to come by anymore. It would take a certain level of trust she hadn't given anyone in a long time and apparently he wasn't an open book either. Leaning forward, she raised her eyebrows slightly and spoke in a quieter tone as she said, "You're not a jerk, but I'm still not very fond of you. However, you could do one thing for me, that's not illegal to increase your chances of gaining my favor."

Hunter nodded slowly, committing her words and the very slight hints they gave about her history to memory to study later. He hadn't been lying or even embellishing the truth to her; Hunter Clarington rarely took more than a passing civil interest in anyone, and yet he was starting to feel fairly sure that Quinn was a puzzle he wanted to solve.. and if solving wasn't a possibility, he at least wanted to find all the pieces. Mulling over her proposition, since that was what it was, Hunter kept his expression careful. "I.. think whether or not we end up genuine friends depends for the most part on you, but yes, I think it's possible that we could be. It probably wouldn't be easy, given our respective dispositions and our tendencies toward privacy.. but I'd like to give it a try, if you're willing." He froze for half a second as she leaned toward him, but willing to play along he leaned toward her too with an air of conspiracy against the other patrons of the establishment. "Oh? And what's that?"

Quinn was sure she was having some sort of out of body experience. This definitely could not be happening to her. Why would she agree to be anyone's anything? Friendships were complicated, you had to consider other's feelings and be honest. Quinn had always felt that when you were in any type of relationship with someone it had to be taken seriously. It was just that she had been trying so hard for the past few years to bury who she truly was that giving someone the chance to uncover and really see her was beyond frightening. Deciding not to respond any further to that conversation for the moment, she grinned as he leaned forward too. "Go buy me a cake pop. Maybe with some sugar i'll feel less grouchy and we can start this," rolling her eyes "friendship."

Hunter 's feeling of trepidation, which had been almost nonexistent moments ago, was growing at the sight of her grin. It lit up her face and completely changed her appearance; suddenly he seemed to be looking at a completely different girl. Nonetheless however, he felt a definite swoop of uneasiness in the pit of his stomach as he waited for her answer. When it came, there was a moment when Hunter's face went completely blank with surprise. Then he blinked and smirked amusedly, then pushed himself to his feet. "I thought you were about to ask me for a kidney or something," he chuckled, shaking his head as he got into line. Hunter returned a few minutes later and handed her a pink frosted cake pop. "It seemed fitting," he mused with a mischievous glance at her hair.

Quinn laughed at his comment. People assumed a lot of things about her because of the way she looked and that's what she intended. Enjoying the fact that he seemed so off guard that she hadn't requested his first newborn child, but only a cake pop, the smile stayed on her face. "Actually, that was just the first part of what I wanted, Hunter. I'm actually going to need a vial of your blood to complete the ritual I'm going to do later," she joked. "Hmm, pink, huh?" Taking the treat from him, she immediately took a bite. "Do you like the pink hair, I'm surprised you haven't questioned me about it yet. Most people do. They want to know what is my natural color or why do I feel the need to have such bright hair or whatever."

Hunter wrinkled his nose at her in another teasing smirk as he regained his seat and took another sip of his now fairly cold coffee. "Sorry, I've already given all I can spare to the Red Cross. You'll have to talk to them if you want some." Hunter shrugged lightly at the question. "I don't mind the pink. It grows on you after a little while, and at least I know I'll never lose you if we go to a crowded place together. Well.. your eyebrows look like they're sort of a light brown, so I'd guess your natural color is either that or a shade of blonde. And it's not really my business why you want such bright hair, so that's why I didn't ask that." Smiling slightly, he took another sip of his drink. "You haven't asked me why I'm so uptight. Nearly everyone does."

Quinn "I guess I just accepted it as a part of your personality. I didn't really think there had to be a reason for it. I mean like the whole not wanting to buy me liquor is kinda lame and most guys would jump at the chance to seem cool, or try use it to their advantage over me somehow, but you didn't and I think that's decent, I guess. You can't really have anything with someone if you don't respect them first and I do have that for you. You stick by what you believe in as far as I've seen. Maybe I'm assuming too much and you're really a prick, but I guess I'll find out." Shrugging, she bite off the last of her cake pop. "I'm a blond."

Hunter felt distinctly surprised at hearing that she respected what everyone else seemed to see as such a negative trait of his. Perhaps she was lying, or just trying to get on his good side in the hope of reviving the alcohol proposal.. it hardly seemed possible - too good to be true, really - that she was simply being honest. "I won't lie.. there are definitely times when I try to look cooler than I really am, but I can't.. bend rules or break laws. It's even difficult to be rude, even when I'm in a bad mood. Old habits die hard, I suppose.." Shaking his head, banishing the line of thought his mind was starting to take, Hunter smiled across the table at her. "Blond hair would look very pretty on you. When did you change over?"

Quinn Something about the way he said that got to her. She wondered what kind of childhood, he must have had- she herself had been raised under the roof of a very strict father. Her rebellion hadn't come from wanting to piss her parents off, if they would have just forgiven her, still accepted her maybe her life could have gone back to normal after Beth's birth. "I think you're cool enough," she said quietly. A part of her wanted to reach out and touch him, but she kept her hands in her lap. "Don't force yourself to be anything that you're not or whatever, it never turns out well." Although this isn't the way she would see herself outwardly, Quinn felt that she was still very much herself deep down, but she knew she wasn't being completely true. The pink hair gave her the edge to say and do some things she would have never thought of before. "Thank you, it's been this way for a little over a year now. I cut it all off, dyed it pink, and got my nose pierced all in one day. Shelby thinks it's just a phase I'm going through, maybe it is."

Hunter was gripping his coffee cup a little tighter than before. In the moments after he spoke and before she picked up the thread of the conversation, his thoughts moved irresistibly back to the topic of his homelife.. or lack thereof, really. He'd been raised for a career in the military - his whole life had been geared toward it since the moment he'd hit puberty. Deference and respect for authority, careful manners, almost ridiculous formality.. it was all ingrained by now, and even though he hadn't been welcomed in his parents' home now for years, it was impossible to get away from all he'd been taught. Quinn's words brought Hunter's eyes immediately back to her face, alerted by the suddenly softer tone, and Hunter almost frowned, trying to discern what could be going through her mind.. but before he could, the subject had been changed and he was forced to let it go. "Go big or go home, I see. Who's Shelby?"

Quinn "Something like that, yeah..." Pausing for a few moments, Quinn frowned, but quickly tried to recover her facial expression. Talking about Shelby was giving him an opening to dig further into her past, one she wasn't sure he or anyone would accept. No one from her home town had, why would a stranger?Bringing a hand to her neck, she tried to rub away some of the tension she was feeling. "She's the woman I lived with from the time I turned sixteen, up until last year. I guess she's sorta my mom now. She does all the parental stuff for me at least, calls to make sure I'm brushing my teeth every night or whatever. Some stuff happened with me and... yeah, it's not something I like talking about that much."

Hunter kept his face composed, but couldn't control the way her words piqued his curiosity. Quinn's situation didn't sound too terribly different from his own. After his father had kicked him out, he'd lived with an aunt for over a year until he could get back on his own feel, and even now he still received calls from her periodically asking how he was doing. Impulsively, but well aware that there was a good chance she would throw it off, Hunter placed a hand gently over hers. He only left it there for a moment before pulling back, but he knew he needed more than simple words to express his sympathy. "I'm sorry. We don't have to talk about anything that makes you uncomfortable, Quinn. For what it's worth though, I have some idea of how you feel. My.. parents kicked me out when I was about seventeen, so I've lived with a lot of relatives since then. Not since I got into college - I live in the dorms now, obviously - but up until then, it was usually a cousin or an aunt or an uncle. Shelby sounds like a kind woman."

Quinn let his hand linger on top of her own, until he pulled it away. People generally never tried to comfort her or touch her in anyway, she supposed it had just taken her off guard, but she knew even if it hadn't she wouldn't have stopped him. Looking at him, she paid close attention to everything he said so she could think more about it later. He'd been on his own for quite some time now- it was hard not to wonder what he could have done to get kicked out by his parents. Her mind ran through multiple possibilities, but she was still unable to completely figure it out. "Thanks... for not pushing and stuff." Placing her hand around the plastic cup that was now half full of cold coffee she stared at it. "I'm sorry, it's cool you had family though. Shelby was my choir teacher." The corners of her lips upturned into a smile thinking about the older woman. "She was pretty great to me, until she got married." Looking back up, she grinned. "Then she kicked me out too. I'm not so upset about that though. I stayed with a couple people I knew, where ever and she still helped me out a lot. I guess I can't whine about it all too much, I'm here now so yeah..."

Hunter smiled gently at her. "I know.. I'm lucky to have people I could lean on, and I'm glad that that part of my life is over. It was a difficult time for a few years, but fortunately I've been able to support myself for almost two years now." His forehead creased a little as he listened to her, and he suppressed a small sigh. "I'm.. sorry to hear that, Quinn. You're not whining, don't worry about that. These kinds of things happen. Life isn't always the simple, easy thing it's made out to be when you're a kid. At least you found somewhere to go, even if it wasn't ideal."

Quinn She wasn't ready to let go of Beth, accepting that she would never see the little girl again was something she never even let her mind consider. He seemed to be doing so well for himself and to have had put it all in his past. Maybe she'd never be okay until she let go of all the things that still hurt her. "I was lucky enough, I wasn't on the street or in a shelter." Releasing a breath slowly, she looked at him as she rested back against her seat. Stretching her feet out she accidentally bumped his foot underneath the table - immediately she pulled them back. "Anyway, I don't want to like keep you all afternoon if you have things to do."

Hunter gave a nod. "Absolutely. It could almost always be worse. I used to tell myself that a lot, but things are so much better now I haven't needed to for a while." He knew there was more she wasn't telling him.. probably a great deal more, enough to fill hours and hours of conversation, but Hunter knew he didn't want to pry. He'd rather let her keep whatever secrets she had rather than make her uncomfortable. Blinking a little, he glanced down when she bumped him beneath the table and couldn't help a small smile when she seemed almost a little embarrassed by the contact. "Not at all, I'll probably just do a bit of homework after I leave here. But I could.. walk you back to campus, if that's where you're headed?"

Quinn Slipping each arm into the sleeves of her jacket, she slowly nodded. A big part of her wanted to reject his offer, but she found herself unable to form those words. "Sure, that'd be nice," she replied instead, slowly standing. Pushing her chair in, Quinn grabbed her trash from the table and waited for him to stand as well before disposing of it in the trash. "I'm used to walking where ever I need to go alone, so it's not like I need an escort or anything, but if you're that desperate to spend more time with me I guess I won't refuse you." Now that she was away from the privacy of their table she could slip on her tough girl mask more easily and it felt necessary to cover that she did actually want him to.

Hunter glanced at her for a moment, a little thrown by the immediate acceptance, and it wasn't until then that he realized he hadn't expected her to say yes at all. It was a very pleasant surprise however, and he got to his feet a little too quickly out of eagerness and tripped slightly on one of the legs of his chair. Hoping she hadn't seen but aware that he had gone at least a little red, he dumped his cup in the trash bin and followed her to the door. "Well, then thank you for indulging me," Hunter answered as he held open the door, his tone only slightly ironic as he cast her a teasing smile. "I can't imagine I'd ever turn down a chance to spend more time with you."

Quinn rolled her eyes at him. Giving him a displeased look, she narrowed her eyes as she noticed that he was at least five inches taller than herself. "Whatever, Mr. Rogers," she murmured under her breath. It was just in his nature to want to make sure she got home okay, there was nothing particularly special about the situation. Looking at the road ahead of her instead of at his stupid adorable smile, she focused on not tripping over her own feet. That was the last thing she needed to embarrass herself in front of him. "and apparently I can't turn down your company either, how unfortunate for me."

Hunter didn't take her harsh expression to heart and only returned a wider grin. "My fashion sense is infinitely better than Mr. Rogers'.. but apart from that, that's a pretty commendable comparison. He was a pretty amazing man." Following her through the door, he took a few longer strides and then fell into step beside her, tucking his hands into the pockets of his jacket as the fall air nipped at the exposed skin of his face and neck. "Is it unfortunate? I'm sorry to put you through such torture then," he said, amused. "I promise I won't take it personally if you try to lose me on the way back."

Quinn Raising an eyebrow Quinn purposely walked a little slower. "and who told you that?" It was probably Sebastian, even if he was already dating Blaine he seemed to have an eye Hunter as well, which was slightly irritating for no particular reason. Her lips settled into a pout at the way he was amused more than anything by her, she folded her arms across her chest. "I could probably not lose you if you tried. Your personality would not allow it. You'd die of guilt if you didn't know for sure whether the person you're with made it home alright, I suppose."

Hunter zipped up his jacket a little higher so that it covered more of his neck and chuckled. "No one had to tell me. I have eyes, I can see that my fashion sense is better. Plus, you'll never catch me in a patterned cardigan. Ever." He fell silent for a few moments after that, considering her words, and finally shrugged his shoulders. "I'd be uncomfortable and I might call the police to go look for you, but you're right.. you probably wouldn't really be able to shake me in the first place. I'd follow you at a distance until I knew you were safe inside your dorm."

Quinn chanced a look at him. "Are you cold? You could wear my jacket." Grinning to herself, she folded her arms over her chest she could feel her cheeks starting to burn slightly from the chill. The further they walked away from Starbucks the more the temp seemed to drop. Although fall and winter were her favorite seasons she couldn't really stand the cold. "You sound like a stalker," she added as she leaned to her side, purposely bumping into him before she could stop herself from doing it.

Hunter glanced sidelong at her and smiled, shaking his head. "No, I'm fine, but thank you. Chivalry isn't dead, I see." Although he had the urge, especially as she folded her arms over her chest, to put one of his own around her shoulders, Hunter pushed his hands deeper into his pockets to try and stifle the instinct. At the word 'stalker', Hunter's eyebrows shot up and he looked at her sharply in confusion, but he relaxed when he saw she was teasing him again. "Hm.. sorry about that," he replied, chuckling and pushing her lightly back. "I guess I'll keep my creepier habits to myself from now on."

Quinn was grateful for his company on the way back, although she was used to walking everywhere alone by now. There had only been one instance of some idiot shouting something inappropriate at her. Wearing baggier clothing and with her dyed hair she noticed she got much less attention for her outer appearance than she used to and she was perfectly okay with that. Some habits died hard though and she still couldn't bring herself to wear anything but skirts and dresses. She'd need to remember to buy thicker hose and leggings if she was going to continue to walk everywhere when it started to snow. Quinn pushed against him again and smiled. "Just as long as I don't wake up with you staring down at me, we'll be cool."

Hunter finally did step nearer and put an arm (a little tentatively at first) around her slender shoulders. He tucked her a little under his arm, using the cold as his wordless excuse both to her and to himself, and smiled at the ground as they continued to walk side by side. "I won't pull a Dobby on you, don't worry."

Quinn had a choice to make. She could either shrug him off, which was her first instinct or she could let his arm rest over her shoulder. Taking a few more steps, she leaned a little into him, as her own arm found its way around his hips. "You're much cuter than Dobby," she replied, hiding her face between their bodies as if it could protect her from feeling any embarrassment.

Hunter suddenly found that he was holding his breath, but he didn't let it out until he felt her turn her face into his side. He grinned, biting his lower lip to keep it from getting too wide, and tightened his grip around her almost protectively. "Thank you, I'm glad you think so.." They walked on in silence for some time until the big brick building that was the girls' dormitory came into view across the street. Hunter gazed up at it and tried not to sigh. "I guess this is you then."

Quinn pulled herself away from him. Trying to push that shy stupid girl she was away, she gave him a bored look. "Yeah, it was fun. Thanks for walking me home or whatever. I'll talk to you later." Without saying anything further, she quickly opened the door to her building and slipped inside needing some time alone and away from him to think about all that she had learned this afternoon.

Hunter blinked and released her at once, meeting her bored expression with one of confusion. He moved forward as if to follow, not really knowing what he would say if he succeeded in stopping her, but the door closed in his face before he'd gone two steps, his goodbye still on his lips. Hunter stood there for almost a full minute until he finally turned on his heel and paced away toward the boys' dorm a few blocks away.

#quinter #huntinn #waaatever #p:

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