Thanks For The Ride
A/N: Okay, so this is my first Glee-fic. I normally root for Artie/Quinn, but after re-watching a few episodes, I noticed that Brittany and Artie were paired up for quite a few numbers. I thought that they would make an interesting pairing. So here it is! An Artie/Brittany drabble ^_^ *present tense is set in "Bad Reputation"
Disclaimer: I don't own anything.
Brittany didn't know exactly how long she had been sitting in the choir room, or why. Oh wait, the cold medicine. Oh well. She should probably have texted Santana to come and get her out, but she still feels tired from the medicine. Instead, she just decided to sit and watch as a small group of the Glee kids congregated around the piano. She thought she heard them talking about the "G"list, and not being on it.
She did feel bad that the four of them weren't on it, but she was more upset about the fact that she wasn't number 1. Looking over at the unmentioned members, she tried to figure out why they wouldn't be included. Kurt had never kissed anyone, she heard him confessing that to Sue once. I just need him for my perfect record… she thought to herself. Next was Tina, goth girl. Goth was just not in. Mercedes? Brittany was surprised she wasn't on the "G"list, after all she was a Cheerio now. Last was Artie. Brittany didn't know how to feel about his omission.
She watched the boy in the wheelchair as the group discussed what they could do for their reputations. Although she would never admit it to anyone, not even Santana (…well, maybe Santana…) she had always thought Artie was kind of cute. He was always nice to her, and patient when she asked him for help on different assignments.
Brittany and Artie were both taking the same science class. Artie was great in science, he loved the experiments, the different theories, and could rattle off some of the greatest minds in the field, dating back to Galileo. Brittany on the other hand thought that when people talked about Newton, they meant the cookies. After all, why would they keep mentioning an apple tree? Even before they were in Glee together, Brittany found herself relying on Artie's help for all sorts of homework assignments, and always quickly wheeled him to her table when they needed lab partners.
"Wait…I don't get it. How is 30 degrees considered hot?" Brittany pored over her textbook, head in her hands. Laughing lightly, Artie gently slid the book from under her elbows and looked at the question. "It means 30 degrees Celsius, which is about 86 degrees Fahrenheit." Artie explained. Looking up at him, Brittany still looked puzzled. "It's two temperatures?" She asked. Clearing his throat, Artie shook his head.
"Well, it is only one temperature, but there are different scales to measure temperature. We normally use the Fahrenheit scale, but this book usually uses Celsius. Fahrenheit always uses higher numbers than Celsius. See, 30 degrees Celsius is hot, but 30 degrees Fahrenheit is freezing." He pushed his glasses up the ridge of his nose. Seeing that small action made Brittany smile, even if she still pretty confused about temperature. "If you want, I can help you out after school. I usually hang out in the library while I wait for my ride." Artie offered, a friendly smile on his face.
"Okay," Brittany grinned.
Once Brittany had joined Glee, she was excited to see Artie there. She didn't give a second thought about his being in Glee club and a wheelchair. Artie even helped her with memorizing her lyrics, and tried to help her remember the choreography. Brittany didn't need much help with the latter, from all of Artie's observations, Brittany was the best dancer in the club. Next to Mike of course. Then there was that one Friday they were both stuck late.
Sighing, Artie rolled himself up and down the ramp, hoping that his ride would get there soon. His older brother had borrowed the car to go away for the weekend, and his father still had the other car at work. Tina said she would be able to grab him after her tap dancing class. Brittany was also stuck at school. Mostly because Santana hadn't been there that day and she was her ride. She decided to walk, but got distracted by a bunny that was hopping around the bushes near the ramp.
"Brittany?" a voice called out. The blonde stared at the bunny, "Hello?" She asked, convinced that the bunny was talking to her. "What are you still doing here?" the voice asked again.
"What do you mean?" Brittany was confused.
"Britt! Up here, it's Artie." Brittany gave one last quizzical look to the bunny and then looked upward and saw Artie staring at her, his face slowly breaking out into a grin. "You don't have a ride either?" He asked the Cheerio.
Brittany shrugged. "Santana wasn't here today. I should probably start walking though…" she let the thought trail off. The sound of Artie's cell broke into her thoughts.
The boy checked his phone to see a text from Tina. He frowned, "Apparently Tina's instructor is running the class a little late today." Sighing, he looked down the sidewalk. It wasn't like he lived far away, but for him to get home, it would take a lot of time and upper body strength. "Well, would you mind if I join you? I mean, we're going in the same direction." Brittany nodded, "Okay."
The two of them set off, first just chatting about Glee, which lead to science, which quickly lead back to Glee, then to him and Tina. They weren't quite dating yet. It then lead to her and Santana. According to Santana, they weren't quite dating either.
All of a sudden, Brittany stopped walking. Artie had to back himself up, and turn to face the blonde. "Britt? Everything okay?" he asked cautiously.
"My legs hurt," Brittany replied in her soft, calm voice. Suppressing a laugh, Artie took his backpack off his lap, and looped it over the handles of his wheelchair.
"Can I offer you a ride then?" He offered, hoping it didn't sound awkward. Brittany had a worried expression on her face, Artie just held up a hand. "You're not gonna hurt me. Its okay, this way you won't be aching during Glee tomorrow." He had done the same with Tina plenty of times, it was one of the only times he could feel useful.
Deciding it was probably the better option, Brittany took the offered seat in Artie's lap, adjusting so that he would be able to see ahead of himself. She placed an arm around his shoulders so she could keep her balance. "Thanks," she smiled at him. A warm smile already growing on his lips, Artie nodded his head, "Don't mention it." And he wheeled the two of them down the sidewalk. The two of them wheeled along in a comfortable silence. Somewhere along the ride, Brittany rested her head on the top of his. Blushing, Artie just kept going along, unable to keep from grinning.
When they reached Artie's house, he offered to keep going along to Brittany's but she shook her head. "It's okay, I can make it from here," she told him, smoothing the skirt of her Cheerio's uniform.
"Okay, if you're sure." Artie looked up at Brittany, "Well, thanks for the company. I'll see you tomorrow." He placed his hands on his wheels, ready to turn to go into his house, when Brittany leaned in and placed a hand on his shoulder.
"Thanks for the ride," and she leaned in and kissed him. Artie's cheeks blushed a bright pink, as he felt Brittany's lips against his own. Breaking apart, Brittany just smiled, and turned to head down the block to her house. Artie, still stunned, but feeling strangely happy, waved as he watched the blonde bouncing away.
Back in the choir room, Brittany decided that she was glad Artie wasn't on the "G"list, he was a good guy, and didn't need that kind of a reputation. She glanced over at where he was sitting, and smiled. Artie shifted in his chair, and turned to crack his shoulder when he saw the blonde Cheerio in the room. A grin spread across his face, and he nodded in her direction before turning back to listen to Kurt.