Wow this is so outside my realm. I've only written for one fandom for the past five years os this was a little hard and odd for me. Glee is amazing and I've loved it for a while. This coupling came into my head the other day and I thought it could be kind of cute especially because both actresses are gay in reality. Keep and open mind and let me know how I do. Also, I'm only on Season 3 but I know Will and Emma get married at some point. I'm thinking two chapters and done for this one. No spoilers! Enjoy and let me know what you think!
Mckinley High was officially booming the first day of school. With all the new students embracing their differences and similarities between periods, all the teachers sat patiently in the lounge waiting on Figgon's to give his annual after summer announcement. It was always either about budget cuts or someone's retirement. Either way there was always a shitty store bought vanilla sheet cake to make up for whatever it was.
The key table in the center of the lounge was filled. Emma sat perched next to her husband and leader of the newest winning Glee club, Will Schuester. Sue gave up and decided on sitting next to what she described as "Mrs. Clean and her homemade briar patch", as all the other tables were filled with people whose names she didn't know nor did she care to find out. Coach Shannon Beiste was sitting adjacent to her. At first, Will thought it was a bit odd. Sue slung no insults since greeting the couple and Shannon offered a friendly hello. He worried if he was going to get fired at this meeting. He reached under the table and squeezed Emma's hand.
Suddenly, Principal Figgins made his way to the middle of the room with a certificate in hand. "Fellow colleagues and instructors, I would just like to clear the air and say that no one has died. That includes Mrs. Sanderson," everyone turned back to the lady with white hair who appeared to be clueless regarding where she was, "Anyway, I've called you all here to say welcome back. And according to the National Adolescent Sports Trainers and Coaches or NASTC, we have an award to give out today. Shannon," he stopped to look at her and raise his hand, motioning for her to rise, "Would you please stand next to me?"
Coach looked around the room both bewildered and honored, Will gave her a nod of appreciation. She stood up to join him. "Everyone," Figgins held the certificate out to everyone to see the gold imprinted writing looking marvelous inside of the custom frame, "I would like to recognize Coach Shannon Beiste for another amazing win before we left school this year. It was her fifth consecutive win and the committee would like to strongly point out her taking Ken Tenaka's losing streak and turning it into a valuable lesson for our young athletes. So, I thank you Shannon."
Everyone clapped and Coach blushed as she shook his hand and made her way back to the seat with the frame in hand. Emma and Will were the first one's to congratulate her. Though Emma was the first one to shoot him a look of shock and surprise. Will took great notice in Sue's looking around the room. He could swear he saw her arm extending under the table towards Shannon but brushed it off because his eyes must've just been tired. Since when does the Sue Sylvester ever show affection towards anyone?
"Uh- Congratulations Shannon. You really deserve that award. What you've done for that team is immaculate," Will urged on as Emma stood and tugged his hand, signaling her to go with him out of the room.
"Thanks Will. It really means a lot coming from you. You inspired me to stay here and all," she said, her kind eyes reflecting on his own. He shot her a nod and started walking with his wife. She lead him back to her office and shut the door, turning down the blinds as well.
"Oh my god...oh my god," she started, linking eyes with Will. She looked like she'd just seen a ghost. He gave her a quizzical look and sat in one of her office chairs, reclining his feet up on the desk.
"What is it, Em?"
"How did you not see that?" she asked, bewildered at his lack of attention.
He shot her a confused look and sat upright in the seat, "See what exactly?"
"Okay, erm...in my four years of knowing Sue, I've never seen her make mooney eyes at anyone. When Shannon stood up to get that award, she was looking at her and her eyes...they just said something. Plus I know you saw her reach out under that table when she sat back down. Not to mention, they were both unusually quite," she gushed, sitting down next to him, her eyes getting wider at the mere idea.
"Are you saying that you think-"
"Yes. Yep. That's exactly what I'm saying, Will! I mean, think about it. Have you ever seen either of them with a man? Or in a locked down relationship? They both coach sports and have short hair, I mean-" she reached over and pulled out a pamphlet that read "The Top Warning Signs of a Lez!"
"Emma," he laughed, tossing the pamphlet aside, "Listen. Last year in Glee Club we went over how rumors could destroy someone. We can't possibly make up such a statement without hearing it from one of them first, right? I mean sure...they were a little quite. Maybe Sue just slipped something different in her protein shake this morning, maybe it gave her a little spring in her step? And Shannon was clearly overwhelmed by the honor. And c'mon, could you really see that pairing? It's like putting Mother Teresa with Osama Bin Laden."
"It seemed like something to me," she said, standing up to walk towards the door.
"Where are you going?" he asked as he stood up and followed her with his eyes.
"I'm gonna see if it is what I think it is. I am going to casually walk by Sue's office and the locker room, if they aren't together in one of those vacancies then, you're right! It must've just been my imagination," she started, walking outside and making sure the hall was clear of students.
"Emma! Wait," he exclaimed, now coming up beside her and leaning against the office glass, "How do you know they aren't busy?"
"Will, it's between classes. Sue coaches the Cheerios after school and Coach does football after school as well. I know for a fact this is Shannon's break period. It's how her rotisserie chicken is always fresh by lunch break."
With that, the two piled down the hall, trying to be as inconspicuous as possible. They passed Sue's office first, all the lights were off and she was nowhere to be found. Will looked to his wife with a know it all smile, "See! I told you. She must be out- I don't know...capturing the souls of children or looking for puppy pound to burn down."
"No, no, no, Will...we still have Shannon's office," she quipped, her heels clicking towards the gym corner, lucky for them it was always a ghost town until after school hours. The two looked in through the glass as they realized neither coach was anywhere to be found. But they did hear something coming from the locker rooms, a shower stream hitting the tile.
Will looked to Emma and shook his head. "C'mon Em, let's just-"
He observed as she walked into the locker room towards the showers. He was in shock with her bravery. Slowly but surely, he followed behind her and once they saw it, it could never be unseen. The two were hiding behind a locker in shock as they watched the two standing in a one stall shower. Shannon stood behind Sue, lathering her short hair.
"Watch the chip," Sue said, giving her a glance over the shoulder.
"What the hell do you mean? You have a chip in your head?"
"Sure do, slugger. Need to make sure that if the CIA ever attempts some wild activity with a nationally ranked public figure such as myself, that I'm covered. Don't need this face on any milk cartons. What would my Cheerio's do without me? Half of them don't know how to read. I asked one of them where New York City was and she said New Jersey" she chirped, bending her head down to let her massage her neck.
"God, you're wild," Shannon marveled, that won her a giggle...a fucking giggle from Sue.
Will and Emma escorted themselves out in shock and horror. They walked back to her office in an awe of silence, confusion, and disgust. Once inside with the door, Will slid against it, his mouth flapping open, "Oh...my...god. Oh my god- they really are...together. Sue and Shannon are together."
"I think I need a shower after watching that. I need a shower and a muscle relaxer .You can't possible justify what we just witnessed, Will," she said, picking up the pamphlet and reading through it with anxiety.
He took a deep breath and collected himself from the floor, "Okay but what if their happy. Like what if Shannon is a good influence on Sue? I mean she only insulted me once today so far. And she hasn't called me a failure yet and the school day is nearly over."
"It's probably just a honeymoon phase. We had one! Remember? I would sit and force myself to watch the Terminator with you while we ate greasy MSG flavored chinese food from that hole in the wall spot you like so much and then I'd polish all of our silverware after. We all have those phases. You're 100% guaranteed that this is the case. Think of it like this, Sue is always after something new and something exciting...anything that will thrill her right? For the love of God she tried to launch a Cheerio out of a cannon for her own personal entertainment and a win. But Shannon loses here, she could genuinely have feelings for Sue...somehow. And we know how she looks for love. I'm scared for her, Will."
Will nodded in agreement, thankful that he married such an insightful woman, "You think we should sit down with Shannon and have a conversation? Maybe ask her some questions?"
"No. Absolutely not. She would be far too bashful and embarrassed to talk to us about their...intimacy? I don't know. We need to talk to Sue. She's the one who'll always rip the bandaid off no matter how much skin it'll remove."
"Deal. Tomorrow. In your office. I have glee club today, so I can't delve into it just yet."
"Okay. Tomorrow."
The next day, Will found himself sitting on Emma's side of the desk across from Sue. Her looked was annoyed as she looked at her phone, "Irma, William...how long is this going to take? I have to make a few calls to the Ohio Secretary of State and Gloria Allred. They both want book forwards written by me and I have no time to waste."
"Sue um-" Emma began taking a breath and looking over at Will, "We know. And we want to make sure that everything is okay."
"Not sure what you're getting at Arlene, but can we get to a point of some kind? I don't have time-"
'We know about you and Shannon, Sue," Will piped up, it was hard to make eye contact with her in that moment. He was afraid she'd turn him to stone like some modern day Medusa. He was surprised though, she sat further back in the chair with a nod and instead of denying it, she spoke up.
"How'd you find out?" her voice was more hushed than they'd ever heard it, Will was impressed in a way. He would call Sue Sylvester a lot of things but a liar was not one of them. She never cared who she hurt in telling the truth. For once, she almost looked hurt...or embarrassed, they couldn't really figure it out.
"We just figured from the way you two were acting in the teacher's lounge yesterday that something was going on. Plus it's not like you ladies are seeing anyone else," she said, reaching for a pamphlet on girlfriend appreciation and passing it to her.
Sue took the paper and flung it behind her, "Keen observation, Martha. You notice in between shuffling some Doris Day slop in your head or polishing one of your cotton candy grapes?" she spat, giving them both a pensive look. She would never be vulnerable.
"Sue, enough. Just because we uncovered this doesn't mean you get the right to be rude to my wife. How did this- you and Coach Beiste even happen?" he asked, leaning forward in the chair to listen.
She let out a breath and fiddled with the whistle on her chest, "Shannon came to the Sue Sylvester Cheerleading Boot Camp this summer to help me train my incoming freshman Cheerios. I figured she was on a winning streak and I knew she would be able to help me build them to be the best they could be. I don't want weak little girls anymore. I want champions. Anyway, it was raining one night and the light in her tent went out. She shuffled over to mine and we talked for a few hours over my homemade jungle juice wine. Gets you drunk off half a glass. We were talking about new moves for my girls and I was practically aroused with the excitement of winning again. One thing led to another and it was my greatest female experience since my attendance at a 99' Melissa Etheridge concert. Ended up taking her down to my condo in Boca over the summer and we browned up while practicing shooting firearms."
The two looked at one another and then to her, "And are you two...happy?" Emma asked, her head turning sideways. She was trying to get some human out of Sue and she knew it would never happen. Hell, the only time her husband had ever seen her drip with emotion was at her sister's funeral.
"Listen here Ginger Rogers, what I do with the people I see is none of your business," she said precisely, standing from the chair, "Now, if you two would excuse me, I'm gonna head back to my office and find a diaper small enough for William's chin because frankly, I can't take the indecent exposure anymore."
With that, she was gone. The two stood from the chair and held hands all the way to Shannon's office. If they weren't going to find the humanity out of Sue to make sure things were going okay, they headed to the softie. Will always admired how kind Coach Beiste was. That's why it was a shame to see her with such an abrasive partner. The idea of power control and abuse scared the both of them.
They knocked at the glass and Shannon motioned for them to come in, "Hey guys. What's going on? Everything okay?" she asked, putting her clipboard down and giving them the attention they desired.
"Yeah, Shannon, everything is fine. We just came here to talk to you," Will began, giving the eyes to his wife as a signal.
Emma reached in her skirt pocket and pulled out the same pamphlet they tried giving to Sue, she passed it over to the coach with a kind smile.
"Girlfriend appreciation?" she read aloud, her red rimmed eyes now connecting with the both of theirs in fear. They could both feel the anxiety coming off of her body. It was odd to see such a brave woman be struck with fear.
"Yes. We erm- we know about you and Sue, Shannon. No need to hide it. We are here and we just wanna talk to you, make sure everything is okay," Emma said, reaching a hand out to cover hers. The comfort was radiating off of her.
"And we just want to let you know that we accept you completely. We would never push you to talk if you didn't want to," Will offered, watching as Shannon got up from the chair to shut the door to her office completely.
"She makes me really happy," she began, walking back to the chair and sitting down, "Like really happy. The night when we...were first intimate with one another was like nothing I'd ever experienced. I went through life believing I was straight and then I went out with Cooter. It's just- when he would kiss me or touch me at all I never felt the fireworks that all these movies and songs are always talking about. Then I kissed Sue that night at camp and felt that electric. Like I was finally awake. I know you two know what I'm saying...I mean, you two are married to one another."
Will thought back to the first time he'd kissed his partner and how it felt like he could do anything under the sun, lift a car up off the ground, it was pure adrenaline. Emma had felt like she was finally okay for once. Like her diese didn't rule her life and that this love was her new thing to obsess over. They took each other's hand and nodded for her to go on.
"We thought it was just a one time thing and then I went with her to Boca. Then I knew I was fucked. I knew that she was going to be something I couldn't kick. She's different when you're alone with her in that way...sort of. And I don't know what to do because I think I'm in love and I'm scared shitless to tell her. Only person she's ever loved wholeheartedly was Jean. I'm afraid she'll pull away-" she said, a few tears falling down her cheek.
"Shannon, I don't want you to think we're ganging up on you here. We want the best...for both of you. Even Sue. I just want to see you happy and in love and protected. We don't want this to be an unhealthy union," Will said, shooting her a sincere smile.
"I think we're healthy. I mean we work, then we go home together, and we watch Storage Wars. I make something protein based for dinner and then we do free weights at night. It's what I've always wanted in a relationship. And not to get graphic but the sex-"
"Okay," Emma said, "Um- have you two talked about commitment at all? Any plans to settle down with one another?"
"I don't think we're at that stage yet but when I woke up the other day, she left this," Shannon reached inside her shirt and tugged out Sue's iconic gold championship ring attached to a pretty chain, it was hanging around her neck, "On the dresser. I don't know what the hell it means but we have an agreement that I keep it concealed during school hours. Didn't wanna raise any suspicions."
"Do you want people to know?" Will asked, his tone hushed as he tried to understand deep in his mind how anyone could ever fall for a woman like Sue. It was unheard of.
"Y'know, I always had a dream of being with someone and being able to call them mine. I don't care if any of these students ridicule me because...I guess as long as I have her I'll be fine. I just wanna be able to call her my partner in public. I want to hold her hand during pep rallies. Is that too much to ask?" she said, wiping under her eyes and tucking the necklace back into her polo.
"No. Not at all Shannon. And I think I can get my glee kids to help you," he said, getting an idea in his head for something musically triumphant. It was his way of handling hard things. And his kids were angels in their own unique ways. They could help make bad things good.
"It's a nice thought, Will. But I don't think the kids singing some Cher song is gonna help with the issue here."
"No, I'm thinking we do a mash up. We meet Sue while she's at practice and perform for her. You could do it as a gift. Think of it as a way of coming out with your relationship," he said, Emma smiled next to him knowing it was a genius plan.
"I don't know…"
"Do you love her?"
"Yeah. I think I really do."
Emma spoke up from the seat, "Do you wanna be able to hold her hand at those pep rallies?"
"More than anything."
"Then let us help," Will smiled, rising up from the seat to go get his Glee kids together to prepare.
"Game on."