slidingmoments | "It seems like you've mistaken me."

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"It seems like you've mistaken me."

Who: Jeremy Smyth and Quinn Fabray
What: That awkward moment where she didn't call you back
Where: Publix, Miami
When: Early Saturday morning

Jeremy decided it was seriously too early in the morning on a Saturday to be grocery shopping. He was sort of aimlessly pushing his cart through the aisles without his brain really registering what he should be putting into it. The only reason he had volunteered his shopping services that early to start with was because Blaine had a near meltdown, superbitch style when he was up early to get ready for the drive to Jacksonville to pick Kurt up. After almost three months in the clinic, Kurt was finally being discharged after putting on a little weight and finding a regular eating and treatment regime that was working for him to be able to strive towards fighting the eating disorder once again. Blaine was nervous and excited about having Kurt released, especially considering that when they arrived back in Miami, they would begin hunting for a big house they could live together mutually with their friends. Jeremy figured Blaine was probably just a little worried that when push came to shove, the clinic would still keep Kurt after all. So he had been edgy and threw a bitchfit when he discovered that not only was he left without toilet paper (and stuck in the bathroom because of it to boot) but also out of Froot Loops and milk, he had yelled at Puck, Sebastian and Jeremy so Jeremy had quickly volunteered to run to the store to get said items.

Normally, Jeremy would still be asleep, but Blaine banging around the apartment had woken him up, so he had gotten up. He was lacking sleep, though, so he was hazy and groggy. He was just in the personal hygiene aisle near the toilet paper trying to remember what brand Blaine preferred when a text came through from Blaine telling him not to worry, that he was getting McDonalds for breakfast on his way to Jacksonville. At least Jeremy didn't have to rush now. He shrugged to himself and shoved his iPhone back in his pocket. Didn't matter to him either way. He was sort of in a funk himself lately, still looking for work and wondering exactly what sort of work he even wanted to do. He was qualified, but couldn't decide exactly what he wanted yet. He had been in a funk ever since he was dragged out by Puck and Sebastian to get drunk because he had been moping over the crap that happened in Paris. He ended up having a pretty cool one-night stand with a chick that seemed nice, albeit pretty damn drunk. Jeremy had given her his number that night, but she never called so it was a bit of a kick in his ego pants.

He grabbed the toilet paper that seemed like the best choice and tossed it into his cart before rounding into the next aisle where the toothpaste and stuff was. Which was when he nearly bumped right into said girl he had a one night stand with who was standing there looking seriously at the shelves in front of her. "Oh... uh, hey!" he said with a sort of awkward half-smile and a bit of a wave, then pushed his glasses back up his nose shyly. What the hell was he supposed to say in this situation. "H-How are you?"

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Quinn had spent the wee hours of the morning puking her guts up, and definitely not for the same reasons Kurt had been. Every time Quinn was sick to her stomach, it made her heart break for Kurt that much more. To know that he was going through something... dealing with an illness that made him actually make himself do that to himself... it made her heart just hurt. And the fact was, she'd been having that thought process a lot more lately, given the fact that, in the mornings, she couldn't seem to hold anything down at all. She'd been going like that for quite a while now, trying to convince herself that there was no way in hell that the only logical reason coming to mind could, in fact, be the reason why. She'd been in denial, even since she missed a period, because now was so not the time for this. Of course, when she was with Mike, the thought had crossed her mind that they might have a family someday, but since ending things with him, that hadn't really been where her mind was anymore.

It was bad enough that she was terrified that she was pregnant, but then there was the whole different twist to things that was the person that had to be the father if she was. She would be too far along for it to be Puck's, which she should probably be thanking her lucky stars for, given the awkward that could come from that. But there was an entirely different side to things that had her head in a spin. When she'd hooked up, and had what she had to admit was really good sex, it had turned into the shock of her life. It was a lot of fun, but she'd woken up the next morning to find herself in bed with Sebastian Smyth, the guy who'd tried to steal Mike from her, and who, at last account, was gay. And yet, from the sex they'd had, it wasn't as if he'd been some guy who'd never touched a tit before, and she had spent a day or two trying to wrap her mind around it before tossing out the phone number he'd given her and trying to forget about it.

But now there was the whole thing with being almost certain that she was pregnant. And of all the godawful coincidences, right as she stood in front of the toothpaste, trying to will herself to go pick up a pregnancy test, the one-night stand himself came around the corner. But as he waved at her, looking shy and awkward, it threw her off a little. Sebastian Smyth had been the bane of her existence back in high school, and she'd seen his smug, smarmy face far more times than she would've liked. But this... This wasn't smug or smarmy. More like shy and almost embarrassed, and she was at a loss. Not to mention the fact that he acted as if he had only recently met her... Not like the guy who'd actively tried to steal her boyfriend, and known full well who she was at the time. "I'm fine," she bit off shortly, crossing her arms over her chest. "I had no idea you were... in Miami, now." She didn't know what stopped her from saying into girls or something similar, but there was something in the guy's demeanor that just... almost... made her feel sorry for him. "Did you need something?" she finally asked. She was in a bad enough mood, and the less time he hung around, the better it would probably be.

With the snappish response, Jeremy just clamped his mouth shut and blinked at her for a moment. Maybe it was expected. Maybe she thought he took advantage of her? Oh god, did he take advantage of her? She was really drunk, and shit, it was true. He was a jerk! He should never have done that with her while she was drunk, because it made him a skeeve. Even if he was pretty damn drunk himself. Drunk for him, anyway. He was a bit of a lightweight, so he hadn't had that much and not quite enough to forget everything, but she had been more drunk than he had. She had been so determined to have a good time, though, and she kept telling him they could have fun together, and it seemed like a really good idea at the time. It was advice Sebastian had given him, to get laid, have some fun, and get the bug out of his ass. Of course, the casual sex thing always had this way of rubbing him the wrong way a little, and he always inevitably regretted it when morning came, if only because there was no cuddling and no affection in the wake of it and those were all things Jeremy cherished and wanted with someone special one day.

But obviously she hadn't been impressed when she sobered up. He was a skeevy jerk and she probably thought he was bad in bed too, because she hadn't called him back. Which meant, this whole thing was a giant awkward moment and he probably shouldn't have even approached her. He felt his cheeks warm up again, and wished he had better skills interacting with girls without getting bashful and embarrassed and awkward. But something in his gut was telling him he couldn't just leave it like this. No, he was apparently going to make things even more awkward by attempting to talk and probably ending up sounding like a bigger weirdo dork with bad sexual skills than she already did.

"Um... yeah. I'm, um... going to be living here now. My stepbrother lives here and he's sort of having a hard time of things, so we came to see if we could help him out some..." He trailed off, pausing for a moment to clear his throat. "Listen, I just, uh... I want to apologise. I didn't mean to make you do anything you didn't really want to. There was alcohol involved and I'm a jerk. I should never have taken advantage. I sort of hoped you would call, but why would you call me if I'm a jerk and bad in bed? That makes no sense. So, I'm just... I'm really sorry. I'll leave you alone now. So, um... yeah. Bye," he added with a small, shy smile which just turned into an awkward tugging of his lips to the side.

Quinn wasn't sure what it was, but there was something throwing her off about this whole thing. Either Sebastian's personality had totally changed, or there was a guy who looked just like him and was totally into girls. This guy's attitude was so different to anything she remembered from Sebastian, and it was confusing the hell out of her. What the hell had happened? She knew that crazy stuff happened, and there was that saying that everyone had a twin somewhere, and maybe she was just confused and this wasn't Sebastian at all? But that was stupid. She'd know that face anywhere, and that face? Belonged to Sebastian Smyth. At this point, she had been trying not to cry, but now she was just pissed off, because this whole thing was messing with her head altogether too much. Quinn was a law student. She liked things cut and dried and simple. There was nothing cut and dried and simple about this at all.

Then he was apologizing, and that sent up a huge red flag. This couldn't be Sebastian. Apologizing wasn't his way, but fucked if he wasn't doing it. Trying not to let her anger and frustration get the better of her, Quinn turned to face him full on and put her hands up. "Stop. Just stop for a minute, okay, because this is fucking with my head. I... I was drunk, but I did want to do what we did. I just... When I woke up and saw it was you, I was pretty damn sure that you were doing more than just drinking. But... Oh, God... It's really not you, is it? You're not... You're not him."

She realized pretty quickly that she probably sounded even more crazy from that comment, and shook her head as if trying to shake her thoughts back into order. "What's your name?" she finally asked. "Just... just bear with me, here..." This was absolutely beyond her, but if it had been Sebastian, he wouldn't have wanted her to call, or been almost hurt that she didn't. It wasn't his way, and honestly, if Sebastian had woken up in bed with a girl, she was pretty fucking sure that he would want to forget the whole thing, and as quickly as possible. But Christ, now she had to think about the fact that she might be pregnant, and realize that it was entirely possible that the father wasn't who she thought it was at all, and Jesus what a mess.

Normally, anyone would probably be weirded out or taken aback to have someone suddenly questioned who they were and demanded confirmation of who they were. But it actually wasn't the most uncommon of events for Jeremy, all things considered. It was just the first time it had ever been someone he had slept with who was doing it, which is why he was actually confused at her reaction at first. He had sort of taken an uncertain step back from her, holding his hand up a little like he was going to try to cut in to explain himself a little more, though without being sure what he should say. That was when she was coming out with 'You're not him' and there were a few beats of blanks confusion for Jeremy where he blinked a couple of times, and tilted his head much like a puppy might if they were trying to work something out. And once the penny actually drop of what she might be asking here, he - accidentally - burst out laughing at the absolute absurdity of it.

He couldn't not laugh, and tears even sprung to his eyes when he did as he gasped out through it, "You thought I was... was... oh my god!" he said, cracking up all over again. At least until he realised just how awkward and absurd it was and he suddenly cut the laughing off abruptly and put his fingers up to his lips, looking at her with wide eyes through his glasses. "You thought I was... oh shit. That's... um..."

He cleared his throat, shifting his weight from one foot to the other. "My name's Jeremy. Jeremy Smyth. And I really, really, really don't mean this in a bad way and I hope it doesn't disappoint you, but it was me who you slept with, not my identical twin because, well, to put it bluntly, he has never even seen a vagina, let alone touch one or care what to do with it. He's as gay as they come, and he comes a lot, but only with guys. I apologise profusely that you were one of the people's paths he has crossed at some point in the past and you didn't get it with the newsflash he is a twin." He was going to end there, but he decided on a quick, hasty disclaimer to add at the end. "And we're nothing alike. Like, polar opposites. Yin and Yang. Night and day. Chalk and cheese. All that jazz..."

Edited 2012-11-22 08:31 (UTC)

Quinn wasn't sure what to expect when she asked him his name, but the last thing she had ever expected was laughter. Especially that kind of laughter... The bursting out from somewhere down deep in your chest kind that just came out and couldn't stop. And Quinn was stunned into silence for a long moment, staring at at him in shock. She really didn't see what was funny about this at all, and it was almost pissing her off that he was laughing, but it really didn't seem like he could help it. Which only served to confuse her that much more.

He tried to talk, but he was still laughing so hard, and Quinn was beginning to get frustrated by the whole thing. She wasn't laughing. There was nothing funny to her, and yet here he was, trying to stop laughing and failing miserably. But when he finally did stop, there was absolutely no question at all that she wasn't talking to Sebastian Smyth, and she certainly hadn't slept with him that night. The thing was, at this point, she wasn't sure whether or not that was something to be relieved about. She didn't know this guy if he wasn't Sebastian, and while one night stands happened, they didn't usually result in a pregnancy where she couldn't even give the father's first name. If she was pregnant. God, she really hoped she wasn't pregnant.

There was a moment when Jeremy introduced himself where Quinn felt a wave of relief wash over her so quickly it shocked her. But then there was a growing dread in the realization that she knew nothing about this guy at all. Until he'd introduced himself, she didn't even know his first name. "Oh, my God... Sebastian has a twin. Sebastian has a twin? This... He tried... I knew him in high school. He tried to steal my boyfriend at the time, and he hurt him. It was... It was an accident, but... Jesus, you really are nothing like him, are you? Thank God." Shit, that was an awful thing to say to someone about their brother, but it was her first response just the same. "I'm sorry. That was rude. I just... I had no idea he had a twin. That's all. And I was wondering how someone... Someone who was gay would end up sleeping with a girl and being so... So... Not bad at it. And..." Fuck. That was when it hit her. She was here to pick up a pregnancy test, and that really wasn't a nice way for a guy to find out he might be a father... Running into the girl in the grocery store when she picked up the test.

Jeremy touched a finger to his lips to physically try to prevent more inappropriate laughing falling out of them and just had to nod in confirmation that yes, Sebastian had a twin. "Erm, I apologise for the boyfriend stealing. He went to boarding school and I went to public school, so I didn't really keep up with his social schedule all that much. I just knew he set his sights in directions they shouldn't be sometimes. But I promise you, this time, he wasn't setting them in your directions because he's gayer than gay and has been since puberty. Maybe even beyond that. He's never been into girls. That was always sort of my forte. And I say 'sort of' because I'm hardly a sex god or anything like that. Far, far from it. I have a pretty abysmal track record actually and... I have no idea why I'm telling you this because it is just making everything even more epically awkward, and I apologise profusely," he said sheepishly.

"I didn't go to school in Ohio, so that probably had a lot to do with it. I mean, I did visit Dalton on occasion, but I went to school in New York. Sebastian has always been way more of a snob than me, he wouldn't settle for less than private, but our folks let us choose. Pretty sure someone who was gay would very rarely end up just sleeping with a girl, drunk or not. You had a right to wonder that because you very much didn't sleep with a gay guy. Just me. Sorry to disappoint?" 'Not bad' wasn't exactly a glowing reference and now he was just getting more embarrassed by the minute. What if he only thought he was sexually adequate when he was drunk, but really he was a dud in the sack? He scuffed his toe against the linoleum floor and fought the urge to break eye contact, look away and whistle awkwardly. "So, wait. You... did you go to McKinley? With Kurt and Puck?"

If she were honest with herself, it was kind of funny. Being freaked out that you'd probably just slept with a gay guy only to find out it was his straight twin. And she probably would've joined Jeremy in laughing at the whole thing if not for the pit of dread that was building inside of her that she might be carrying this guy's child. On one hand, though, it at least seemed that he had a certain, well... sweetness about him that Sebastian didn't have. "He didn't actually steal my boyfriend," Quinn explained with a shrug. "He and I were together for a really long time after that. It was more the boyfriend hurting that made me want to smack him. But... That's kind of a relief. My ex is bi, but sleeping with a gay guy who was really really gay, probably would've been an all time low for me." She had to smile just a little at the shy nature of the guy standing in front of her, despite the fact that everything else in the world seemed crazy and off kilter at the moment. "No... No, you're okay. I promise. I'm just kind of relieved I didn't sleep with Sebastian."

"Oh... That would make it less likely that I'd know anything about you. I mean, I barely knew anything about Sebastian except that he wanted my boyfriend's ass, so it makes sense I wouldn't know that. Oh, yeah, trust me. My best friend's gay, and he just really wouldn't ever sleep with a girl... Granted, he hasn't really... Nevermind, that's a different story for a different time. I was shocked was all, but... No, I'm not disappointed. I was just confused. It was really nice, and I just... I didn't know how to react when I woke up next to a gay guy." She watched him quietly for a moment, and she wasn't totally sure, but it looked like the hint of a blush was rising on his cheeks. She nodded quickly in answer to his question, surprised he knew that. "I... I did. Kurt's my best friend. The fag to my hag you might say. How do you know Kurt and Puck?" Jesus, this could be one hell of an awkward moment if there was some sort of Hatfields and McCoys thing going on between this guy and the people who she'd gone to high school with. Things she really didn't want: that. It was awkward enough as it was that she had just run into the guy who'd quite possibly knocked her up in the damn market while looking for a pregnancy test.

"Oh... well, that's a slight relief." Jeremy realised he had just jumped to the conclusion that his twin had stolen someone's boyfriend, but it wasn't like Sebastian hadn't done that before. In fact, it used to be like a hobby to him but he had chilled out a bit now they were older. Jeremy didn't know if Sebastian was so much as looking to settled down, because that would like hell had frozen over and pigs flew through it all at once, but maybe some day down the track he might be more inclined to date exclusively with the right guy rather than just living and breathing casual sex because it was convenient. "Sebastian is sort of his own force of nature. I just happen to share his face with him. There isn't a whole lot else we have in common. But he's my twin, and I love him unconditionally. I do realise he has more than his fair share of dick moments, and he really doesn't have a fuck to give about it unfortunately. It makes it awkward for me sometimes when we do get mistaken, but it's not like I'm not used to it. This is just the first time ever we have been mistaken during a sexual encounter. I won't tell him that's what you thought, though, because he would make sure you never, ever lived it down. He's a bit of a bitch. Okay, a lot of a bitch."

He nodded and gave a small gesture with his hand to emphasise that she had a point. It was perfectly okay she didn't know about it and therefore, maybe that made it just a slight bit less weird? Hopefully, anyway. "For future reference, Sebastian wouldn't have stayed with you long enough for you to have woken up with him. That's not his style. He would have gotten the job done and gotten out of there. Just not with a girl." But that was when his eyebrows shot up and his green eyes widened behind his glasses. "Kurt's best friend? Oh... wow. Okay, this might sound way, way out there, but Blaine's my stepbrother. His mom and our dad got married a few years back. He's the reason why we're back in the country, because we heard he was going through a rough patch with his new... well, with Kurt," he explained. "We're staying with Blaine and Puck right now, and Santana's just arrived too. Bas is her lesbro. They're besties."

Quinn really just wasn't sure what to make of this whole thing. This guy seemed so sweet and genuine, and it was doing her head in, when only a few minutes ago, she'd thought she was talking to Sebastian Smyth, and that she'd probably slept with him. But this guy... He was much more along the lines of someone that she thought maybe she could be okay with having slept with. But there was still the question of what might come next given the uncertainty in this whole situation, and she really just didn't know. But she had to smile when Jeremy promised not to tell his twin what she thought had happened. "I appreciate that," she said with a light laugh. "The last thing I'd want is for Sebastian to know that I thought I'd slept with him and enjoyed it for several weeks before I finally learned the truth. That would only go badly. But I understand loving him. He's still your brother, and your twin at that. I've heard all sorts of things about that before... The whole twin thing, that is... Is that real life? The twin sense thing? But no... I had no idea you existed at all, or I would've been a hundred percent sure that it wasn't Sebastian I slept with."

"I was thinking that, too, when I woke up," she admitted. "I mean, you were there... We were almost kind of cuddling, and that really just didn't seem Sebastian's style. Especially not with a woman." Her eyebrows rose in question when he reacted the way he did to her statement, and she nodded just a little. "Yes. Kurt's best friend. He and I were co-captains of our high school cheerleading team together." And then there was the dropped bomb of the fact that he was very much connected to Blaine, and not just Blaine, but Puck, of all people. This had very much become that awkward moment just by association, but she really couldn't focus too much on that. The Puck thing was over as far as she was concerned, and any other things might be over if she was pregnant. She really wasn't sure what would come next for her at that point... What her options might end up leading her to do if she did turn out to be pregnant. "Rough patch is an understatement," Quinn countered quietly with a small shake of her head. Her concern for Kurt didn't ever stop, even when he was doing much better with things, as he was now. "Seriously? Your brother is best friends with Santana? Oh, God, she and I started high school as friends, and ended up mortal enemies when Kurt knocked her off her throne as Cheerios co-captain and the two of us became thick as thieves... But things change. It might be nice to actually see her again." She paused, her hazel eyes turning up beneath dark lashes to meet Jeremy's. "So... So you're going to be around for a while?"

It wasn't beyond Jeremy how awkward this was for both of them, but he just wasn't the sort to drop it and walk away. He cared too much about other people's feelings and didn't want her to think he was just built like his brother who just fucked and walked. He might have been quite drunk that night, but that didn't mean it hadn't meant something to him. He had written it off as a one night stand and a bit of fun, but only because he hadn't expected to ever see her again. That was generally now those things worked. But at the time, he had no clue that they had any connections, especially none as significant as this. He certainly had no clue she had mistaken him for Sebastian, which was funny now they realised what had happened, but he felt like it was his job to make her feel better about the mistake. Whether either of them liked it or not, it was now not 'just a one night stand' because they had important people in their lives that connected them. That could either continue to be awkward, or he could try to make it less so. "It's awkward, I understand that. But we're used to being mistaken, it's no big deal. Don't sweat it. But like I said, you kind of lucked with the boring half of the deal. I hope you don't mind too much," he joked with a laugh.

He just shrugged bashfully at this. "I'm not exactly used to casual sex. I mean, I've done it occasionally, but I'm more a fan of enjoying it with someone I'm committed to, you know? Not that I didn't enjoy it with you, because I really did! I just enjoy all the added extras of a relationship to, and I suppose post-coital cuddling falls into that basket. It was just reflexive and I apologise if that made it uncomfortable for you. And yes, I do very much understand that rough patch was an understatement. I'm a child psychologist, but I didn't really want to make any assumptions as to knowing Kurt's case personally. I only know what we've heard through Blaine and he's been pretty cut up about it with worry. I do know about eating disorders though, and how horrific they can be. Especially one as long-term as Kurt's suffered. We're staying here permanently now. I've just been looking around at the job market, and maybe have secured a contract through the local schools here, thanks to Sebastian who is an Attorney. It's just waiting to see how it pans out, but definitely here for the long haul. We missed Blaine and Miami seems to be the place to be."

Despite everything, Quinn couldn't deny the fact that she felt sick, and like she was about to cry, but Jeremy was managing to make her smile just the same. It really was the most awkward of moments, but he was making it surprisingly less so with his bashful sense of humor that just made her feel a bit more at ease. She was so relieved she was pretty sure she wanted to just heave a sigh of relief, then hug him and thank him for not being Sebastian. That might not have gone over so well, given that he was quite close to his brother apparently. With a small smile, she met his gaze. "Well, at least it's not like you look nothing like him. That would've made it even more awkward. But no, I don't... I don't mind at all. If I had to choose, no offense to Sebastian, but I'd definitely rather have slept with the sweet, straight one. At least I think you're sweet. Or else you're putting on a really, really good show." God, was she flirting with him? Granted, it was pretty apparent that she'd flirted with him at least once in the past, or they wouldn't have ended up in bed together.

She reached out, still with a bit of awkwardness to give his arm a little squeeze. "I'm not, either, if it helps," she said warmly. It was true. The only instances of casual sex in her life had come after she and Mike split, and there had only been two of them at that. "I was in a committed relationship for a long time, and nothing beats that. Although, what I remember with you was really nice, and the cuddling wasn't uncomfortable... Just really shocking when I thought you were Sebastian. I was stunned, and I just had to get out of there... I wish I hadn't left so quickly now." This was an interesting turn of events. She'd always assumed Sebastian was far away from Miami, and that, if this pregnancy test came back positive, no matter what happened, the father wouldn't be a part of any of it at all. "It's been a really hard time for all of us, but I'm sure it'll be really nice for you to be here. Blaine needs all the love and support he can get right now. I know it's been such a hard time for Kurt, but he's been grateful to have Blaine. I think Blaine's given him a reason to want to get better more than anything ever has. We've all been there for Kurt. But with everything that's going on, another shake up might ruin everything. I really don't know how it's going to turn things if it turns out I really am pregn... Oh, my god." Why the hell had she just said that? Her nerves were shot to hell and she was on edge, but that really hadn't been the way that she wanted that news to come out. Oh, shit. Shit. And then, as if to add insult to injury, Quinn's stomach gave a sudden turn, and before she could stop it, she'd completely lost her breakfast... and right down the front of Jeremy's shirt.

Edited 2012-12-21 03:08 (UTC)

Jeremy didn't have any time to really process anything. He was far from stupid, and he caught the 'preg...' but before his mind had any chance to really jump to any terrifying conclusions, he was suddenly being puked all over and that wasn't ever something you could quite be prepared for. One moment, he had been standing there minding his own business trying to carry on an awkward conversation in the most friendly, approachable and polite way that he could so she wouldn't feel bad about mistaken him for Sebastian, and the next... this. Shock hit probably as quickly as the puke had, and he froze, the tiniest squeak of shock escaping him and he held his hands up in sort of a useless but reflexively shield. The only other people in the whole world who have thrown up on him in the past were Sebastian and Blaine. Sebastian one time when he had a serious case of food poisoning and their folks had been out of town, so Jeremy played nurse. And Blaine when he had gotten royally drunk at their parents wedding to the point he had been pretty much passed out cold for two days straight and ended up on a hydrating IV in the wake of it. It was epic times, but both times, it was just the casualty of being a brother trying to help family out because he cared about them. Never before had he been vomited on by a stranger... or right in the middle of a grocery store in public where everyone could see.

But he was still the non-evil twin, and once the initial shock hit him, he shoved it away quickly because he realised there were a couple of people staring at the end of the corridor and looking horrified at the thought of approaching now. Sheesh, it was just a bit of puke. It wasn't like it was nuclear waste. His hands dropped from where he was holding them up and he took one of her hands into his and rest his other carefully on her back. "Hey, it's okay. Are you okay? Do you need to sit down? I'll get you some water and call for the janitor here. It happens to the best of us. You're not going to pass out on me, are you?"

Quinn just shook her head, trying to fight back tears of embarrassment that were springing to her eyes. Why couldn't she just have met Jeremy while she was sober? She was pretty sure they really would've hit it off, maybe even gone on a date together. Instead, they'd hooked up in a one-night stand that had probably led to her being pregnant, and she was worried enough about that before she decided to spew all over the poor guy. Jesus, could this get any worse? She'd only thought it was awkward before, but her own sick down the front of Jeremy's shirt begged to differ on that. She looked at him in absolute shock and horror at the epicness of her fail. "I'm so sorry," she moaned pitifully, shaking her head, and really wanting to just go hide in a corner and bawl her eyes out. This guy was completely unexpected, and she'd been pretty damn sure that she'd used up all the good karma she had in her life before she'd met him and realized that he actually seemed like someone really special that she could enjoy spending time with. If it ever came to that and he wanted to spend time with her, too. But spending time with someone didn't include puking on them in Quinn's book, and could this have happened at a worse time?

She could pretty much feel the eyes on her from all the people who were passing by. It might have only been a few at most, but it felt like being onstage and realizing you were naked or something. But then, there was Jeremy, being kind and gentle, and not angry with her at all. There was no doubt in her mind that karma had it out for her, though she wasn't really sure what for. If it was still getting her back for being a bitch in high school, she was really going to be pissed. "I'm... I'm okay," she said, though the paleness in her face was probably giving her away as a liar on that one. "I just don't feel so hot. Some water would be nice, thank you." She gave him a tentative shake of her head, though she honestly was feeling a bit woozy. "I don't think so, but I probably should sit down."

Jeremy just shook his head, trying to emphasise to her that it was really okay. Apparently someone had already alerted staff to the fact there was a clean-up needed on aisle 10, because two dudes in uniforms showed up, one with a bucket and a mop probably wondering how the hell he had managed to draw the short straw of the day. Thankfully, no one made a fuss and other customers chose to avoid the aisle and the mess rather than running in for a good gawk at everything going on. There was nothing worse and more embarrassing than getting sick in public, especially when you were feeling awful to top it all off. He started to lead Quinn up the aisle, giving the workers a grateful and apologetic smile as he said sorry to them. Just as they got to the end of the aisle, he grabbed a three-pack of mens white tank tops and then grabbed a bottle of water from the display near the express checkout near the door. He paused just long enough to take his wallet out and threw a fifty dollar note onto the conveyor belt for the checkout chick. "Just the shirts and water, keep the change." He had left the rest of his shopping in the cart in the aisle. He could come back and get that another time, it didn't matter.

The got outside, and he help Quinn sit down on the closest bench outside the front of the shop. Luckily it was set in a little courtyard rest area and a strip of grass right nearby in case she was sick again. "It's okay, just sit and rest for a bit, okay? I'm here. I'm not going to leave you on your own." He cracked the water open and handed her the bottle. "How are you feeling now?" he asked in concern, and then while he was standing there in front of her, just just stripped his soiled shirt off and balled it up so he could take it home to wash. He was still watching her carefully when he peeled the pack of tank tops open and discarded all the cheap tags so he could pull it on in place of his shirt. It was Miami, it wasn't like he would freeze or anything. Once he was re-dressed, though, he crouched down beside her to make sure she was doing okay. "Don't be embarrassed, okay? Tall order, I know, but you couldn't help it. I'm not going to hold it against you."

Quinn genuinely did feel horrible, both because she had puked all over this poor guy, and because she still felt kind of sick and lightheaded. There was just no denying it. She was pregnant. She was almost a hundred percent sure of it. Her mom had told her once upon a time how awful the morning sickness she'd had with both Quinn and her sister had been, and it sounded pretty much like a dead ringer for what was going on with Quinn. But in the midst of all of that, she'd just managed to throw up on the guy who was the father if she was pregnant, and create an even more awkward moment than she'd thought humanly possible. But he'd kicked right into high gear, helping her out and not stopping to be a jerk about his shirt or anything like that. It had seemed like the most natural thing in the world to just step right up and look after her when she was feeling badly, and she was suddenly thanking her lucky stars that this was the person sh'd slept with all along and not his twin. It was a hell of a relief.

Once outside, Quinn took the seat on the bunch gratefully, glad not only for the chance to sit down, but for the fresh air and the cold water. "Thank you," she murmured, looking up at him with a small, weak smile. "I'm a little better," she replied, blinking her eyes as the wave of lightheadedness started to subside a little. "I don't think I'm going to pass out or anything now." Despite how sick she was feeling, she couldn't help an appreciative glance when Jeremy took his shirt off, and even when it was replaced by the tank top, it was a tank top that still fit in all the right places. It wasn't that she hadn't found him attractive the night of their hookup, but she'd been a bit too much on the drunk side to truly appreciate it at the time. Only, then she was feeling yuck again thinking about the conversation that was going to have to take place, and the fact she wasn't totally convinced she was done hurling. "I'm really sorry I threw up on you just the same," she said, taking another sip of the water. "Thank you for the water... and for staying with me. Nobody likes to be alone when they feel bad."

"Hey, hey... don't apologise, okay? Seriously, it's okay. I'll live. Just a couple of weeks ago, I had one of the worse cases of food poisoning ever just from a pizza here. It was like Miami's way of welcoming me with open arms or something. I would have preferred say, a red carpet, or maybe a glittery banner or something," Jeremy joked with a gentle smirk at her. The last thing he wanted her to think was that he was joking at her expense. He just wanted her to feel okay about it and that really, it was out of her control. He wasn't the squeamish sort. He had even contemplated nursing or medicine as a career before he settled on psych when push came to shove. He graduated and then celebrated with Sebastian on a trip to France which was a whole other story in itself. "I know how it feels to feel rotten and that your belly hurts bad enough you think you'll never stop throwing up. It's like your brain transports back to being a kid and you just want to curl up in bed with your teddy and hope Mom can take it all away. Unfortunately, moms don't even really have a magical miracle cure for nausea. Sometimes, we just have to tough it out and wait for it to pass."

He pointed back to the store over his shoulder with his thumb. "Why don't you tell me what you were in there to pick up. I'll run in and grab it for you, and then I can drive you home. Unless you have your own car? In which case, I could still drive you and then just walk back here or get a cab. Do you live nearby? I'm not all that far, but I couldn't recommend taking you back to my place for a rest. Blaine's pitching a panic fit about toilet paper because he's all on edge about Kurt coming home. It's really not a relaxing environment. But I can take you to your place and hang for a little while until you feel better. If you want. Of course, you might just prefer I piss off so you can die in peace?"

"Oh, God, don't say pizza," Quinn groaned just a little, clutching at her belly as another wave of nausea hit, but this time, luckily, didn't lead to her being sick again. "I'm sorry... I shouldn't be bitching. I'm not the one who got thrown up on. And seriously, why are you being so sweet? You really, really don't have to. Not that I'm not glad you are, because if I had to throw up on someone, at least it was a nice someone who isn't making me feel even worse." God, the fact that he was so -- she was pretty sure the word was perfect -- was making this even more confusing for Quinn. When it had first hit her that she might be pregnant, her first thought had been that she would probably end up terminating. It wasn't meant as a slight against Sebastian, when she'd been sure he would be the father if she was. More the fact that she just didn't think she was at a place in her life where she could raise a baby alone. But then, here was Jeremy, and he'd kicked right into the TLC when she needed it, all the while, barely even knowing her beyond a one night stand and puking on him. And Quinn just couldn't shake the feeling that he was something very special... Someone that she could see herself wanting around for more than just a little while. But that was neither here nor there. She'd literally just met the guy... or at least, for the first time sober.

What she hadn't been expecting was for Jeremy to offer to make her purchase for her in the store. It was pretty much the moment of truth. Either she could lie about what she'd gone in to buy, drag this out further, and probably eventually have to tell Jeremy the truth anyway, or she could rip the band aid off now, and just spill it all. This poor guy was probably going to end up regretting even having gotten out of bed this morning if the truth were told, but Quinn couldn't just not tell him the truth, either. Swallowing hard, she addressed the last parts of what he said first. "I don't live that far away. My car is here, though. The heat wasn't helping with the feeling yuck earlier. I thought my stomach had settled though... Clearly I was wrong there. But no, you really, really don't have to go. In fact... If you're willing to risk the safety of your clothes, I'd really appreciate that ride home." So now was the time to speak now or forever (at least for now) hold her peace, and Quinn took a deep breath and a sip of the water he'd gotten her before she met his eye. "I... I was in the store because I needed... I needed a pregnancy test. I think... I think I'm... Oh, God, I sound like such a slut. But I'm not. I swear I'm really not a whore, I just..." This wasn't coming out the right way at all! He probably thought she was both a slut and a crazy person. "When we... I think..." Another deep breath to get her thoughts together, and Quinn met Jeremy's gaze again, trying to keep her shit together. "Jeremy, I think I'm pregnant, and if I am, you're the only person who could be... You know..." Quinn found herself praying to any deity that would listen that she hadn't just managed to screw this up even worse than she had in puking on him. Why couldn't she use her damned words?!

Jeremy scrunched his nose up and gave a firm shake of his head. "Trust me, I'm never eating it again after that. I'm no masochist, no matter how much Puck and Blaine swear that place is where they always get it from. I don't care, it was evil. I think it's the business Voldemort's minions run when they didn't have his butt to kiss anymore." But when she asked him why he was being so sweet, he wasn't even sure what she meant by it. "I'm not... I just want to help you. Is that, like, a crime in Miami or something? I'm sorry if I'm overstepping the mark or making you uncomfortable. This is just me, I'm sorry. I'm not exactly sure why anyone would attempt to make you feel worse, but you must have some really awkward friends..." That wasn't intended as an insult, but he just wasn't sure why he wouldn't help her. He hoped if he was in her shoes, someone would help him some day. His parents had always raised him to treat people how you wanted to be treated. It was generally a lesson Jeremy had absorbed whilst his identical twin had been immune to the advice.

In his mind, though, she just needed, say, bottled water or toilet paper or maybe even, like, girl things that he would happily get if she told him what to look for. This, though? This. This Jeremy had absolutely no way to prepare for. He came out to get toilet paper so Blaine wouldn't keep flipping out and go all sassy gay diva bitch on them. He came out to get toilet paper to keep the peace and do his bit as Blaine's brother through this worrying time. What he didn't come to the store for was... a baby?! Holy fuck. He was failing to actually outwardly react too. It was all inner freaking out, and outward, he just sort of gaped at her, green eyes huge and mouth hanging open a little. There was a funny ringing in his ears that he didn't recognise either and he was sure his heart was trying to thump it's way out from behind his rib cage. A wave of heat crept over his skin too with a funny prickling sensation that made him wonder if he was maybe about to have a heart attack or a stroke. "But I... didn't we... d-didn't I... a-are you sure...? I-I mean... I, um..." he stammered, tongue trapping any rational words. "Hey, hang on! If all this makes you a slut, then it makes me a slut too and I'm not a slut! My twin is a slut, but I'm not a slut. I have maybe had, like, three flings in my whole life and those were just like one-off things and all the other times? Total droughts! Just so you know! And that one time? I had an itchy dick and Bas totally pulled the piss saying I had crabs when I hadn't even been with anyone for ages, I still got checked out just in case and it turned out to be an allergic reaction to washing powder! It wasn't even anything slightly slutty!"

"Death Eater Pizza?" Quinn asked with a weak smile of amusement. If she was going to be sick, at least it was with someone who was nice, and with whom she could carry on conversation and even have a smile or two. "No, it's not making me uncomfortable... It's just... I mean, we slept together, but you don't know me... You could've just walked away, cleaned yourself up, and went home, and instead, you're here, looking after me. It's really sweet, just kind of unexpected. But no, my friend's aren't awkward, but most people wouldn't be this nice and helpful if someone they hardly even knew puked on them. It's just... Maybe I'm just still in shock that you're nothing like Sebastian at all." She sighed, fiddling with the cap on the water bottle for a moment or two before she put the bottle beside her on the seat.

Quinn put her hands up in front of her, trying to calm Jeremy down. "I'm sorry... I know you're not a slut. I just... You know how it's always the slutty chicks in the store buying pregnancy tests every month just to make sure, but this isn't an every month thing... Far from it. I've only slept with three people ever, and one was my boyfriend who I was engaged to for a long time before things ended, and one was you, and one was... it doesn't matter. The point is, I'm not calling you a slut, I've just never had to buy a pregnancy test before when there was a one-night stand involved... I'm not... I had a little scare with my ex, but it turned out to be final exams, not a... a baby. I'm sorry. I'm not... I don't really... I've never had to tell someone anything like this before, so... No. Just... forget I ever said slut, okay? Please? I just feel like crap, and I want to know for sure if I'm pregnant or not, and then I guess... I have to figure out what comes next I'm really sorry, Jeremy. My head's just... not really in the best place right now, and I'm not sure what the hell I'm doing." Without even knowing why she did it, she reached for his hand and held tight to it as if she were holding on for dear life. She needed this connection with him for whatever reason, and now that she'd realized the truth of what had actually gone down that night (Not Sebastian... At least not on her anyway), she was relieved and grateful. This wasn't an ideal situation, but at least if she did have this baby, she was pretty sure Jeremy wouldn't be an epic jerk about it. "Can we just... Try a rephrase here? I just need to get a pregnancy test. It's why I was here, and I didn't pick one up because I thought seeing the girl you slept with buying a pregnancy test would be a really horrible way to find out you might be a baby daddy."

As soon as the penny dropped for Jeremy what she really, truly was saying here, it felt a little like the ground had been ripped out from under him. A funny, prickling heat crept all over his skin and he could just stay crouched there, gaping at her as his brain rapidly absorbed the details without actually processing anything. Sure, he was a nice guy and he would do anything for anyone who needed help. He was the sort of guy who would give you his last ten dollars or the shirt of his own back if he thought someone needed it, but there was only so much nice that could filter through a blanket of absolute shock. And let's be real here, it wasn't like she was just laying on him that she stuffed her bra or had once bumped someone's car in the parking lot and didn't stop to confess to the damage. She was sitting here telling him she was probably almost certainly pregnant, and that he was absolutely definitely the father because no one else was on the potential qualified list. Some guys would probably demand certainty that it was even his, but he wasn't that rude. If she was saying there was no one else, then he was sure that was true. Even if he sort of wished she maybe had, say, two or three, or ten other options here.

"Preg... you're... y-you're... p... p..." he began to stammer out and then started to feel a little sick and dizzy himself. He could be a bit delicate sometimes. He didn't work well with his own shock. Anyone else's, he could deal with like a pro, but unexpected turns of events like this weren't good for his body chemistry, and it really was hot here, wasn't it? "Oh, I'm just going to... I need to sit... like, right now." He dropped his bum down heavily onto the patch of grass and rubbed his hand over his face to look up at her, green eyes wide. His hand ended up over his lips and the dizziness was going to stay there for the moment. "A-Are you sure you're, like... that, and not just, say... um... a bad taco? Bad tacos can be really epic, you know. O-Or what about maybe, um, a parasite? Parasite can do that! Can't they? I mean, we wouldn't have... have... I always use..." But even as he tried to defend that particular notion, it was dawning on him that he couldn't exactly be sure he had used protection because he had been really drunk. The lead up was pretty epic and intense that maybe they just fell into it without thinking. Or maybe he had been so drunk he had accidentally put a hole in it with his nail or something. He pointed to himself. "Feeling a little sick myself right now," he added with a nervous laugh that was higher than his usual pitch.

Quinn felt sick for a whole different reason now. Not that Jeremy didn't have the right to be freaked out or panicky about this, because it was a huge thing -- huge and scary -- to realize you'd (at least probably) created a life with someone you barely knew. She couldn't judge him for that, but at the same time, she had to hope that this was only because he was panicked about the whole thing, and that he wouldn't end up being so freaked that he just shoved it all off. She just couldn't see that being the case with him, even if she didn't know him well enough to make that call with one-hundred percent certainty by any means. Still, she'd thrown up on the poor guy, then dropped this bomb on him, and he was still here for the moment. She had to admire him for that much. It was horrible, though, giving someone news like that. She really did feel like a terrible person for this whole situation, but in the end, she was no more at fault than he was. It was kind of a joint effort that led to her being quite probably knocked up. It wasn't as if she'd stolen his sperm when he wasn't looking.

Shaking her head quickly, Quinn held up a hand just ever so slightly. "No. I'm not sure yet. That's why I came to get the test. I think I am. I'm... I'm pretty sure I am. I'm way late. At first I thought... I thought it was just stress from what's going on with Kurt, but it should've worked itself out by now. It's not... It's not a bad taco, Jeremy. That would explain the sick, but not the rest." Shit, this was horrible. She really shouldn't have dropped this bomb on him until she knew for sure, but she had no idea what else she was supposed to do in this particular situation. There really was no right or wrong way to do this... It just had to be done. And the ripping off of the bandaid was the best option she could see. "I'm really sorry," she said quietly, shaking her head. "This wasn't what I wanted, and it certainly wasn't how I wanted to go about telling you. It just kind of happened this way. It... I honestly wasn't sure I was going to tell you when I thought you were Sebastian. But that's... I didn't know how to get in touch, anyway... I don't... God, what a mess." She paused for a moment, pulling herself together, before she met Jeremy's gaze with a look of firm resolve. "Okay. We need to get the test, and before we do any more worrying or panicking? We had better know for sure."

Jeremy just wasn't entirely sure he could get up from the grass right now. It felt like if he tried, his legs were totally going to betray him and he would faceplant the sidewalk. He just looked up at her helplessly, and it dawned on him quick abruptly just how much he didn't know her. They were strangers to each other. Complete strangers. Sure, they had this weird and intricate behind-the-scenes mutual connections of mutual important people, but to each other, they hardly knew anything... and that was freaking him out more than just a bit. They didn't know each other, she didn't even know his favourite colour or what his shoe size was, and here she was telling him they could very well have made a baby together. Suddenly Maury Povich didn't seem nearly as hilarious to him as it used to anymore. He swallowed heavily, pretty convinced he could be losing his own breakfast at some point in the near future. Either he was epically freaked out or just very sympathetic, but either way, his belly was flip-flopping around inside him dangerously and he could almost feel that the colour had drained from his face. "I-I'm not freaking out," he had to somehow try to reassure her. He didn't want her to think he was one of those dudes who would just do a runner at the first sign of trouble. "I... if I... if we... if this is... you know... I'm not just going to abandon you or anything. I'll... this is both our problem, not just yours and we'll figure it out together, either way."

He gave a little nod to himself like some of brief mini pep talk, because like it or not, he had to deal with this. His folks had always raised him to take responsibility for his own actions, and this was definitely one of those times those lessons were coming into play. Even if it was terrifying him because he had barely even began his career, he was barely even out of college, and none of this was even close to what he had on the to-do list any time soon. He always thought if he was doing the whole pregnancy test moment with someone, it would be his wife that he adored to bits and they waiting anxiously with happy anticipation of what the result might be whilst Buster their sheepdog ran around next to them knowing something exciting was happening... and where the fuck did that fantasy just come from? Buster the Sheepdog? What? He gave his head a small shake. "R-Right, so, um... I'll go and get a test then. Is there any sort of one that is better? You're not going to know that. That was a stupid question. Ignore me. I'll just go in and blindly pick one with a pretty box. Okay? I'll be right back," he told her as he shakily got up and patted his back pocket to double-check he had his wallet there for the purchase. There he was thinking he would only need it for toilet paper too.

Even as he stumbled just a little over his words, Quinn couldn't help believing Jeremy. Every single word of what he said. Strangely enough, though, they were very much on the same train of thought, Quinn also facing the realization that she could very well be carrying his baby... a baby they made together... and she had no idea who he was outside of his connections to people she knew already, and the fact that she'd thrown up on him at the market, and he hadn't been a dick about it. That was terrifying, if she were honest. What if she decided to keep the kid, if there was one, and Jeremy turned out to be a horrible guy, someone that had only been being sweet to her because he was hoping for a second round of sex or something. But Quinn just couldn't believe that. Not with the way that he'd acted almost on instinct to care for her and look after her when she'd been sick. "I'm glad you're not," she offered wryly. "Because I am. Horribly so. I have been for... for a few weeks now. I should've... I didn't want... I wasn't ready to face all of this, so I pulled an ostrich for a little bit. Head in the sand, the whole nine. I'm... I'm in law school, and I don't know what... what being pregnant might mean for me there. I mean... I know there are options, but that's not... That's not something I really ever wanted to even have to consider, and... Thank you." Thank you was maybe a dumb thing to say right now, but she was grateful just in hearing that this guy had no intention of leaving her high and dry carrying his baby. It was scary enough to think she might be pregnant with someone there who would help her through it... The thought before this of going it alone had beyond terrified her.

Still, she was watching him as he sat there for a moment, the fact that he was trying to talk himself into something or another very plain on his face. She wasn't sure whether it was because he was trying to talk himself into what he was saying to her, or because he was trying to talk himself into standing up without throwing up all over the place, but either way, she very much could understand it. She'd never really planned on having children in the first place. At least not for a very long time. It was one of those things, when she and Mike were together, that was a bit of a non-issue. Both of them were open to the idea sometime in the far future, but neither really wanted it right now. But this wasn't Mike. This wasn't the marriage that she'd planned for, or even the person she ever thought this would be happening with, but she couldn't help being so, so grateful that she wasn't alone. She couldn't look away from him for some reason, and she had to give him a little nod of her own, trying to reassure him. "That's fine," she assured him, rubbing her fingers over her lips when she felt pretty sure that she might be sick again. She managed to hold back, though, at least for now. And then he was headed back into the store, Quinn's eyes locked in on his back as he disappeared.

Jeremy was on autopilot when he went back into the store. There wasn't many brain cells in his head that were still working, but somehow he did find himself back in the aisle he just left (that was just finished on the clean-up and the poor janitor was pushing away his mop and bucket), and just stood there numbly in front of the rows upon rows of pregnancy tests. Did this many people really get knocked up in Miami?! Holy fuck. And how could a thing with one purpose take so many forms? Blue lines, pink lines, digital screens, no lines, words, words and predicting how far alone you were, purple dots, vertical lines, horizontal lines... and all declaring to be 'THE BEST AND MOST ACCURATE ON THE MARKET'. "Well, you can't all fucking be," Jeremy mumbled to himself as he grabbed up three different boxes and juggled them in his hands to try and figure out what he was supposed to know here.

What he really didn't need either was some ripped smart-ass surfer dude come up next to him and snicker as he grabbed a box of condoms. "Dude, you wouldn't be in this mess if you forked out for Trojans first. Tough break, bud," he said with another snort of a laugh and gave Jeremy a matey sort of nudge in the arm. The bastard was lucky he was already walking away, because Jeremy really wanted to thump him in the head and then suffocate him with a Trojan. It shouldn't be that hard to pull a condom over someone's head, right? Gave a whole new meaning to the concept of 'dickhead' anyway. Instead, he settled for giving the guy a glare that would have cut glass had it been physical, and then just shoved the two other boxes back on the shelf and settled for the one with the digital screen that would outright say PREGNANT or NOT PREGNANT. He was a guy... guys liked gadgets.

He paid for the test and came back out to where Quinn was. He was still feeling shaky and anxious, and he either wanted to throw up or go to the nearest bathroom and suffer explosive diarrhoea from an anxiety attack. Neither was off the cards, and he could still end up doing that if this test showed what he was fearing. "W-We should go. Do you have your keys?" he asked her, handing her the paper bag with the test and holding out his hand for the keys to her car. "Is anyone at home at your place?"

While she was waiting for Jeremy, Quinn couldn't help the feeling that she wanted to cry. She wasn't sure if it was hormones, or the fact that she was just totally overwhelmed by this whole situation, but it was too much to even think about. Unfortunately, that was too bad at this point. She didn't have a choice but to think about, and if that test showed what she was almost certain it was going to, she really would probably end up in tears. Which could only make things even more awkward for her and Jeremy. At this point, she really wasn't sure where to even start with that train of thought. She sighed heavily, closing her eyes against the bright sunlight. This seriously couldn't be happening.

When Jeremy came back, test in hand, Quinn slowly stood up from the bench. Any sudden movements would've probably resulted in a fresh new wave of puking, and she really just didn't feel up to it. She reached into her purse, handing him her car keys. "No," she replied with a shake of her head. "Nobody's home. It's why I came here when I did. It was kind of perfect timing for things, so I could go home and take the test with nobody there to deal with after it. If I needed..." She didn't want to say if she needed to cry, because she sincerely didn't want Jeremy to feel any worse about this than he already seemed to. He was being so sweet and trying his damnedest not to be a jerk, when Quinn was pretty sure this was the shock of his life, too. She probably would've wanted to be an ass in his position. Here was this girl he didn't even know telling him that she was probably pregnant and it was his, when she could just as well have been a slut fucking half of Miami when she'd gotten knocked up. But he hadn't even questioned it. Not once. He'd promised, instead, that they would work things out together, and he would be there.

Once in her car, they made the short drive back to the apartment, and she led the way up the steps, letting Jeremy in before closing the door behind them. He held the grocery bag with the test inside, and she reached out to take it from him. "I'll be right back," she said, taking the test and disappearing into the bathroom. After a moment, she resurfaced, the test laid carefully on the bathroom counter as she checked her watch to see how long she needed to wait before checking for the results. "I... um... Would you like something to drink?" she asked awkwardly. "A water or something? Hard booze?"

Jeremy shook his head, swallowing to wet his throat. "Nope. If I put anything in my mouth, it won't stay there for very long." Why did that have to sound so dirty? This is what he got for having Sebastian as his twin. If he had just stuck with using his mouth that night, neither of them would be in this mess. His stomach was just flipping over and over, though, and he was worried about what the outcome of all of this would be. Had had waited in the kitchen whilst she had gone to the bathroom, and he was still hovering there now. The place had a nice feel to it, with photos of Quinn and her friends stuck all over the front of the fridge with magnets. He found himself standing in front of it to look, and he sought out the face he was looking for and pointed. "Is this Kurt?" he asked. He looked over all the photos and knowing what Kurt was battling through, he could actually notice the increase and decrease in his wait throughout them. Some of the photos, he was desperately thin and drawn around the face, but others, he looked somewhat normal, albeit still very slender in all of them. It must be as his condition went up and down over the years. "I can see why Blaine is smitten, he's beautiful. Blaine hasn't got any photos of him. I guess he's not a fan of the camera. All these pictures are from the shoulders up."

He didn't mean the therapist in him to start coming to the forefront, but it was a distraction so he didn't have to analyse his own issues. Everyone else's were okay, but if he had to face his own, he was going to flip out. If Quinn turned out to be pregnant, it was going to set a cat amongst the pigeons in this whole scenario. He had heard that Blaine and Kurt were actually contemplating moving in together, along with Kurt's two room mates and Puck. With Jeremy and Sebastian as Blaine's brothers, that would mean he and Quinn were both firmly in this whole thing, whatever the result of that test would be. They just didn't realise how much they were connected until now, considering Quinn had been thinking he was Sebastian. "I mean, I'm sure you're really protective of him after everything, but I promise Blaine's intentions are absolutely 100% pure. He's a good old fashioned lover boy, and he's fallen head-over-heels for Kurt. Talks about him all the time, has Kurt's entire treatment and eating regime pinned to the fridge so he can text message him at the clinic to see how his meals go. He's studying Musical Therapy. He understands the desire to help people."

Quinn was distracted, but when Jeremy asked about the photo on the fridge, she had to smile, even if only a little. "Yeah... That's him. The fabulous fag to my hag. He's the most amazing person, despite everything he's been through. I'm lucky as hell that I managed to blackmail him into being my best friend... It was a horrible thing to do to him, but somehow, it all ended up turning into something I wouldn't take anything in this world for." Thinking of how Blaine looked at Kurt just warmed her heart, but with a hint of pain at the question inside of her as to whether anyone would ever look at her like that again. It sounded like an awful and selfish thing to think, but she couldn't help it. Still, she certainly didn't spite Kurt what he'd found. In fact, she was probably one of the people who was most thrilled by this whole turn of events and what it meant for Kurt. "They're gorgeous together... You'll see what I mean when you see them. But no... Kurt really isn't a fan of being photographed. He's... Well, if you're close to Blaine, you know he's been in a bad way a lot lately."

She put up a hand to stop Jeremy's defense of Blaine. "Honey, you don't have to explain anything to me... I don't think Blaine has it in him to have less than pure intentions with Kurt. He's beautiful, too. There's just such an... an innocence and kindness to him that I love... I trust him with Kurt, which is saying a lot, because there aren't many people in this world that I can say that about. Blaine's perfect for Kurt, and Kurt's trying harder than ever to get better." She glanced at the photos of Kurt on the fridge for a few long moments, just thinking about the difference she'd seen in Kurt since he'd met Blaine. But after a few moments of standing there in a silence that, while still awkward, was less so than it had been previously... when the topic of conversation wasn't Blaine and Kurt. She glanced at her watch a few more times, before the time was finally there for the moment of truth. A truth she wasn't sure she was ready for, but truth just the same. Glancing sheepishly at Jeremy, she pointed at her watch. "Um... are you... ready for this?"

Looking at the photos, Jeremy was hit with a pretty distinct sensation of missing his brothers. He wasn't sure where it came from, but it was definitely there. He gave a small glance to Quinn, unable to stop his green eyes just briefly dropping down to her stomach as he wondered how both Sebastian and Blaine would react if he told them they were going to be uncles. Probably extremely different reactions, to say the least. Jeremy was scared. Terrified, really. Sure, he knew it was more scary for the girl in a scenario like this, but his life was potentially about to change epically too and he was only just freshly out of college and starting the career he had worked really, really hard on. He was a psych major, specialising in child psychology and even had a string of interviews ahead of him in the coming weeks. Now this? Getting drunk and knocking a girl up really wasn't something he ever thought he would find himself doing, but here they were and he was scared. He sort of wanted a cuddle and he wanted his brothers. But telling them would be a whole other story... or plucking up the courage and finding the balls to tell them, rather. He wet his lips, which just seemed to want to keep drying out on him right now because he was maybe slightly borderline on the near-hyperventilation thing and breathing through his mouth a lot. Could he raise a baby? He had no goddamn idea. What if he couldn't? How did you easily raise an infant with someone you weren't even dating anyone? Was it always like it was on Jerry Springer or Maury, or could it be nice and civil? "Blaine's always been hesitant in relationships. First time he went out with a guy in public, he got the living crap beaten out of him and ended up in a coma. Ever since then, he was sort of reserved on trusting. Which is why we were sort of surprised when he went in all guns blazing and heart-first with Kurt when Kurt, well, literally fell for him on the sidewalk that day. We were worried he wasn't thinking straight and was getting too involved too quickly, so we came to Miami to see how he was. Turns out, he was fine. Well, worried and upset about the ordeal Kurt was going through, but fine within himself over the progression of the whole thing."

When she asked that question of doom (in his humble opinion), he was shaking his head before his brain actually had time to rationally consider it. "Nope. But then, I don't think I would ever be, no matter how much time passed. Sorry. I'm just... I'm, like, toeing the starting line of my entire career and I sunk everything into college for years, and I was looking forward to starting work and helping out kids having a tough time. And I'm going to shut up because you don't need to hear my life story right now. I just never banked on my own kids being a factor in any of this. I have no idea how my family will react to it, and I know what I have to do, but that doesn't mean I'm ready for it. But it's life and we did what we did, so now we have to face the consequences, ready or not."

There was a tension and a nervousness hanging in the air between the two of them, but Quinn couldn't shake the feeling that there was... well, something else, too. Solidarity seemed like a good word for it. There was very much a feeling that if this test did prove what Quinn suspected, Jeremy would be there beside her to see this whole thing through. He didn't seem the type of guy to knock a girl up and then run like hell. This was a huge thing... Maybe even a nightmare, if things went badly. Quinn hadn't been sure if she even wanted kids, and now here was this huge question of what was going to happen. She'd never been a fan of the idea of termination, but she was in law school, and when she'd thought she was going to have to go this alone, the realization had hit her very quickly that it might be her only real option that made any sense. But she just seemed to know through talking to Jeremy, if only for a short while, that he wasn't the kind of guy to run away from a situation he'd been part of creating and leave the consequences to the other person involved. She could only hope that, if they decided to go through with this, have the baby, and move on with things together, they'd manage to work it well for the sake of their kid. She hardly knew him, and she wasn't deluded enough to think that this might lead to anything more than two adults trying to raise a child. She didn't think for a minute that they'd end up falling in love or anything ridiculous like that, because life just didn't work that way. This wasn't like the olden days were a pregnancy automatically meant a marriage, nor did Quinn want it to be. She liked this guy. He seemed genuinely sweet and kind, and like someone she would've dated in normal circumstances. But that didn't mean she was ready for anything more than figuring out what came next if she really was pregnant. "I can understand that... But maybe when it's right, sometimes you really do just know. You meet that person that changes your whole life and your whole way of looking at things, and nothing is ever the same again. I don't think that's the way for everybody by any means, but maybe that's what it was with Kurt and Blaine. Maybe what they have is so right that it just clicked, at least for Blaine. For Kurt, it was never not going to be a struggle on some level, because of his condition. But he's opened up to Blaine more than he's ever opened up to a guy, and that's been... something really special for all of us."

"No..." she said softly, stepping just a little closer to him and giving his arm a warm squeeze. "Hey, listen... If this goes the way I'm kind of thinking it's going to go, we're going to have a lot more than just life stories to share. This is a huge mess, Jeremy. I get that. I'm in law school for Christ's sake. This isn't something that I was ever planning on dealing with at this stage in my life. I don't expect you to be all, 'Oh em gee, yay, baby!' right now. That's not... Neither of us would've wanted this to happen this way. Trust me, I thought if I ever got pregnant, it would all be planned, and with someone that I was married to, or well on my way to marrying anyway. This is just kind of the way the cookie crumbled, and we'll just have to figure out how to go with it as we go. That's really the only choice we have at this point. As much as that sucks, it's just the way it is."

Jeremy just shrugged at that and wet his lips nervously. "I'm honestly in no position to be able to make an informed judgement on something like that. None of my relationships ever worked out, and none even came remotely close to it either. I've never just known anyone was right for me, and probably wouldn't even know how to recognise it. Like most people, I've made some stupid mistakes and gotten tied up in situations that weren't right, but once you do something like that, you can't wind back the clock and erase it. It becomes a fixture of your make-up and who you are. What you can change is how you face similar situations in the future. But fuck, if you're lucky enough to find your perfect match, it must be pretty awesome. It sounds and looks awesome anyway. I can't think of anything more special that just having someone to share your life with, to wake up with each day, and do things you love together. I mean, sure... I've pretty much already got a second half, but he doesn't count. He's just part of the package that anyone I have to date will have to like or they will have no chance. Sounds superficial, but it's true. Bas has put quite a few potential girlfriends of mine through the absolute wringer and as much as I hate to admit it, he was right in a lot of the things he called them on. Maybe being an identical twin is just really, really bad for one's romantic life. Who knows? But anyone, even a perfect match, needs to take Bas and me as a package deal and he's very much an acquired taste. Maybe one day I'll find my person who clicks and Bas actually likes them too."

He just gave her a brief, faint smile but then just cleared his throat and pointed at the door. "You should just probably check the result out. No sense standing here planning anything in the future beyond the right now until we know what it says. For all you know, you've gotten off scot-free and all this worry is for nothing. At least the close shave will have been with me and not my gay twin, right?" he joked, trying to lighten the mood a little. On the flipside, if that test was positive, how the hell was he even going to begin to tell Sebastian? It was so far out of the realms of any situation he thought he would find himself in that he couldn't fathom Sebastian's response, especially considering Quinn's connections to Kurt, and therefore Blaine. Blaine, who happened to be BFFs to Tina, who happened to have quite the distinct history with Jeremy that was very much a big secret to this day that Jeremy had kept hush for her sake.

"Neither am I, really," Quinn replied easily. "I mean, I thought I was. I was really happy with someone for a long time, and we had a great life together while it lasted. We're still amazing friends, which is something not many couples can say after a break up." She had a moment where she realized that there was a connection there, too. "He's actually... The guy that your brother was into and tried to steal from me back in the day. It's kind of a weird realization how tied together everyone from Ohio is here in Miami of all places. I can't deny, though, I do miss it... Not really being engaged to him, because I love him to bits, but we weren't right for each other in the end. Just because you work as a couple doesn't mean you're actually meant to be one. But I miss that knowing that one person was always going to be there... Going to bed in someone's arms, and waking up still there... You really can't beat it." She couldn't think too much about that now, though, because the odds of ever finding someone now that she was probably going to be a mom? Were probably slim to none. It was guys with kids that always made girls all warm and fuzzy inside. Girls with kids never really brought the same response from guys. "It's not superficial that anyone you date needs to get along with your twin. He's half of you! You guys will always be part of one another, no matter what happens with other people in your life. You have every right to want and need that in a relationship. Sebastian's just a bit harder for some people to get used to, that's all."

She nodded quietly, not really able to speak without the sudden feeling that she very much just wanted to cry. There was no point in crying, though. Not until she knew for sure what was going on. So she moved away from where she'd been standing to talk to Jeremy, and made her way back to the bathroom where she'd left the test to wait the appropriate amount of time. She picked it up, and as her fingers wrapped around it, she found herself closing her eyes, delaying the inevitable just for one more second. But this was the moment of truth, and after a deep breath, she opened them, and flipped the test over to see the screen that said a single word, plain as day: PREGNANT. In all caps. As if Quinn needed the damn thing yelling the results at her. Her free hand came up to cover her mouth as she all but choked. She'd been hoping somehow, on some level, that this would all turn out to be a joke, but it wasn't. It wasn't a joke at all. And she was swallowing hard before she turned back around to go back to the living room and report the news to Jeremy. The test still clutched in her hand, she met his gaze, and when words weren't cooperating, she just gave him a single nod of her head.

Jeremy's mind turned to Tina briefly then, and he hoped she was happy. He knew she was in town, but they had been quite pointedly avoiding being in each other's presences. He knew she was more favourable to being with girls these days, and that she had told him he would be the exception to that if anything had a chance of working out between them. It couldn't, though, and they both did know that. Jeremy held commitment and fidelity in very high regards in his morals, and he regretted that he had been a playing part in her cheating on her marriage, but he didn't regret be able to help her see that her marriage was poisonous for her happiness. When he ever managed to find love, he needed it to be something above and beyond just random hook-ups. It had to mean something, it had to be special. Probably why he found it so hard. Everything was about sex and whilst he enjoyed sex as much as the next person, he was ultimately looking for the whole package if he chose to bite the bullet and settle. Which was how he was easily taken advantage of, and why Sebastian was so protective of him. His forehead creased up when Quinn came to mention his twin here. "Sorry, but Sebastian tried to steal a lot of people's boyfriends over the time. I'm not getting any immediate flagging of anything specific here. Not that it matters, he's not into that sort of shit these days. He grew up. He prefers no baggage and no strings at all, which includes people already attached. As to me, people probably think I'm a bit of a pushover or an easy ride because I'm not the residence bitch. If I'm honest, that's gotten me hurt more than I care to admit over the time. I'm more wary these days. At least, until alcohol is involved apparently... something I don't usually get too involved with either because it goes straight to my head."

He paced a couple of times back and forth in the kitchen while he waited for her to come back from the bathroom. He chewed on his thumbnail, feeling his heart pounding in his chest and fighting the urge to call Sebastian just as moral support. Sebastian just wasn't ever the most subtle of choices for moral support, and Jeremy's only other real options were Santana (same boat as Sebastian as to subtlety), Blaine, who had his hands full with Kurt, and Puck, who was... yeah, not an option, really. Then Quinn was back and he could tell from the look on her face what the result was. But the nod did it. It seemed so finale and he felt dizzy, putting a hand up to his mouth. "Ohhhh god, I feel like I'm going to be sick," he said shakily, breaking out into a panicked sweat. How had this ended up happening to him?

There was something innately protective in the way that Jeremy talked about his twin. Quinn could imagine that he was probably quite used to having people say less than nice things about his brother, and that it probably bothered him to hear it. His family was clearly important to him... In fact, he'd even told her back at the store that he and Sebastian had come back to the country to look out for Blaine when he was going through a rough time. She didn't want to just be another person in the never ending line of people who just assumed that Sebastian was still the same jerk he'd been in high school. It wasn't really fair to him, or to Jeremy, who obviously cared a great deal about his twin, to just slot him into that same mindset without having spoken to him in years. "It's okay. It was a small eternity ago. We were all kids back then, and not always the nicest ones, either. I can't really judge Sebastian on being a bitch, because I was one myself for years. Kurt and I were like... Team Bitch, and we were the reason that Santana wasn't co-captain of the Cheerios... that's the cheerleading squad from our high school... So yeah... I have no room to judge anyone for that. At all." She paused, taking in what he was saying quietly, and almost feeling bad about the whole thing. Had she somehow managed to be another name on the list of people who'd hurt him because he wasn't like his brother without even meaning to. "I..." She bit her tongue then, focusing on not making this anymore awkward than it already was at this rate.

If she were honest, Quinn felt very much the same. Although she'd felt like that for days now, even before it hit her that she might be pregnant. The fact that the news was official now, right there in digital letters on the front of the test, just made her feel that much more like losing her lunch... Which she probably would've done right now, if not for the fact that she'd hurled it all over Jeremy and the aisle of the supermarket earlier. She opened her mouth a few times to say something, but her words seemed to be getting stuck in her throat, which felt painfully dry. With a deep breath, she took a bottle of water from the fridge and took a long sip of it. But that just left her feeling worse, and she set it aside, focusing on not throwing up. "I... I'm sorry," she murmured, although what for, she wasn't really sure. It wasn't entirely her blame to carry, nor was Jeremy acting as if it was. It was all just a stupid mistake... A very huge, very stupid mistake.

Jeremy just held a hand up, but kept his other with his fingers pressed safely against his lips for a few lingering moments before he dared try to speak again. "You don't have anything to apologise for her," he told her through a sharp exhalation that had followed a distinct gulp to try to get his nerves under control. "But you know what? I think I'm maybe just going to go so we can have a bit of... space, or something. To process. That's probably the best thing right now." He didn't want to freak out in front of her because that would be epic fail and he was just as much at fault here as she was. He was suddenly cursing the fact he was not only a lightweight but booze wasn't his friend much these days with the medication he needed to take. He could still drink, but it had a more intense affect on him and way quicker than it would most people. It could be funny at a family gathering or a night out with the guys, but this? This wasn't very convenient at all and he was pretty sure he was going to need to throw up all over the place somewhere just to release the tension in his gut that was coiled up like a pretzel. He just didn't want to do it around her.

"Look, I'm really sorry we've gone and made a pretty epically stupid mistake. But a common one, and now we have to deal with it whether we like it or not. I just sort of need a bit of time to wrap my head around all this." Sometimes, he was lucky if his brain even functioned enough to get him to aim at the toilet properly, but that was very, very much a story for a completely different day. There was a time and a place, and this wasn't it. "I'm not going to leave you high and dry, though. We'll figure it out together once the initial shock as worn off. You should probably try to book a doctor's appointment or something, and just... let me know when you want to go and I'll come with you. We'll split all the bills on everything and try to make sure it's the least painful it needs to be," he resolved. Damn, he needed a Tylenol because he suddenly had one epic headache coming through.

Flat | Top-Level Comments Only

"It seems like you've mistaken me."

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