Author's Note: The trip to Arkansas went well, and I should know how it went in a week or two. Road trips to Washington DC and Myrtle Beach, South Carolina, are on deck for the next two weeks. Three road trips in three weeks? I am crazy. However, that means time for writing in hotel rooms! This fic was inspired by a couple of prompts on the glee_fluff_meme on LJ, which is great fun to check out!
"It's like ten thousand nights of thunder." Tina is singing under her breath while not so successfully attempting to clean out the current disaster area known as her bedroom.
Tina Cohen-Chang was a great many things, but neat was most definitely not one of them. A stack of books (Poe and Plath were both clearly visible from the top of the pile) was quickly shoved into a corner as she kept looking through her stuff. "…but I will give them all back to you."
The singing gets more mumbled as she throws herself under the bed, pushing more crap out of the way. "Ah-ha!" She finds the suitcase she's looking for and immediately starts shoving it full of clothes and stuff.
"Did a tornado roll through?" quips Artie dryly as he surveys the room from Tina's door frame.
"No. I'm fine." Tina sets the suitcase aside and climbs up on the bed, gesturing for Artie to join her. "Are you checking up on me?"
There is a pause. "Maybe."
Tina laughs and cuddles up next to Artie. "Are you okay?"
"Dude. I'm fine. I'm not the one that had Puck undressing her with his eyes at Glee today. I'm impressed, Tee. You've got quite the stink-eye."
"Yeah. Bastard. I know I'm the only girl in Glee he hasn't sucked face with yet, but damnit, I'm dating you. And I am all for the monogamy." Tina smirks.
"Hell yeah, woman." Artie grins at his girlfriend happily. "So, do I still need to roll over his toes with my wheels?"
"Maybe later," says Tina with an impish grin as she rests her head in Artie's lap. "So, I was thinking,"
"A novel concept, I'm sure."
She pokes him in the stomach and continues on without missing a beat. "You know Puck won't give up so easily."
"Ugh, I know. So what are you thinking about?"
"What are the odds that he's going to try to serenade me with something horrendously inappropriate and embarrassing in Glee tomorrow?"
"Knowing Puck's style, highly likely," says Artie dryly. His hand moves to weave through Tina's streaked hair.
"Right. So I was thinking."
"We've established that."
Tina rolls her eyes. "I should prepare my own musical comeback."
"You have something in mind?"
"What are your thoughts on JoJo's "Leave"?"
"What the hell are you doing with JoJo on your ipod, Tina?"
"Haha." Tina sits up and reaches for her ipod.
Artie pouts. "You moved."
"God, I'll move back." Her head rests in Artie's lap again. "Artist in question aside, what do you think of the song?"
"It should get the point across nicely." His hand rests on top of her head again. "But maybe we can find something better."
"I never thought you'd ask." Tina moves and twists up so she's facing Artie. Before he can pout again, she's cupping his chin in her hands and kissing him deeply. "After that?"
"Why Tina, I never thought you'd ask."
The next day at Glee, sure enough, Puck, sporting a pair of combat boots, is dressed from head to toe in black and shoving sheet music in Brad's face.
"So like, I was trying to find some music by an Asian Jew, since you're like one and all, but there are like no Asian Jew singers. There was one kind of hot Japanese violinist, but his beady eyes looked kind of gay."
Artie scowls and reaches for Tina's hand defiantly.
Kurt is bristling behind the pair. "Tina is Korean,you moron."
Mercedes snorts and prepares for the upcoming train wreck, even as she pats Tina's knee comfortingly. Puck might be a total turd, but damn if he couldn't sing. And he was damned fine.
Quinn sighs and buries her hands in her face.
Tina just looks mortified.
Puck, the brilliant judge of emotion that he is, continues barreling on, "Whatever. So I like settled on this song, 'cause of your last name and all."
By now, Tina is six shades of red and gripping Artie's hand so tightly her knuckles are white.
Puck tips his hat and reaches for a microphone before busting out a stunning rendition of Marc Cohn's "Walking in Memphis".
Tina can't take it anymore, and musical rebuttals are forgotten as she bursts into tears before she bolts from the room from the sheer humiliation of it all.
Artie is hot on Tina's heels, wheeling out of the room after her at a breakneck pace.
While Puck is standing around, dumbstruck, while the rest of the room sits in stunned silence.
"You bloody Neanderthal, Tina's last name is Cohen," snaps Kurt.
"And she's dating Artie," adds Quinn, in barely more than a whisper.
Mercedes just rolls her eyes and quickly texts Artie to try and help with damage control.
Meanwhile, in the auditorium, Tina is clinging to Artie tightly as she screams in his shoulder out of sheer frustration.
"Asshole," says Artie darkly. "His toes are toast."
"No, no," says Tina quickly, wiping her eyes with her arm warmers. "No, it's okay."
"Tee, you're crying. That's not okay."
"Puck is a jerk who isn't used to girls saying no," says Tina with a firm nod. "And he doesn't get that I hate-hate-hate being put on the spot like that."
Artie keeps rubbing her back gently as he lets Tina finish.
"I'm okay. I'm with you, and we're good. More than good. We're amazing." She lets things settle into a comfortable silence as she hugs Artie tightly in his lap.
Artie runs his free hand through her hair as he quietly starts singing The Beatles' "Here Comes the Sun" to her softly.
Tina sighs and starts singing along softly, harmonizing as her expression grows peaceful. When they finish, they wordlessly segue way into Natasha Bedingfield's "Love Like This".
Quinn creeps into the auditorium to check up on Tina. Seeing the pair singing together so serenely makes her heart ache. She turns around and exits just as quietly as she entered, determined not to ruin their private moment.
"Tina's all right," says Quinn softly to Mercedes and Kurt, blocking the doorway so neither of them could enter. "Artie's handling it."
Kurt gives an approving smile as their friends' voices echo through the quiet auditorium.
"That's how you serenade a girl." Mercedes nods.
And the next day at Glee, Tina busts out a stunning interpretation of Lily Allen's "Knock 'Em Out," directed solely at Puck.
Puck stilldoesn't get the hint.
Tina sighs and kisses Artie full on the mouth at the end of their performance of "I Got You Babe" the day after that at Glee.
Puck finally gets the hint...
...after Kurt "accidently" kicks him in the shin (with this best pair of pointy-toed Pradas), Quinn gives him the patented Fabray Glare™ (something had to pay for those pregnancy expenses), and Mercedes hisses "She and Wheels are involved" (wink wink, nudge, nudge) in something akin to a stage whisper.
(No one ever said Puck was smart.)