AN: This is the promised "gratitude fic" that I wrote to thank all of my Glee fans who helped me become a better writer, and got my debut novel "The Cinderfella Blog" into the top 1000 on Amazon's Breakthrough Novel Awards. I was unfortunately knocked out today when they announced the quarterfinalists, but I'm still just honoured to have even been given this opportunity.

This idea was submitted by Tartielover, and takes place during "Yes/No." At the moment it's only going to be a oneshot, but I did leave it open to pursue a possible multi-shot, just in case the muse strikes me. But even if I do it'll have to wait until I've finished the (four) other projects I've currently got going. Multi-tasking: not my strong suit.

The First Time Ever

Tina had kept her composure through helping Mercedes with her crisis, but now that she was all alone in the restroom she felt her own resolve shaking. How could this have happened? This wasn't right! She leaned against the sink for support and stared down her reflection. This wasn't supposed to happen. It had never happened when they'd rehearsed, but something had changed when they'd been up on that stage.

Mike really had been the first person she'd thought of while singing. She had remembered the first real date they'd gone on after they'd gotten back from Asian Camp. He had taken her for a picnic in the park on the spur of the moment, and it had been fun and romantic and perfect.

But it wasn't the first time they'd seen each other. In fact, the more she thought about it, the more she came to realise that she had no idea when that had been. They had met in Glee, and before that she wasn't sure of much else. They had known of each other – the Asian community in Lima is tight knit, after all – but there had been no distinct 'first look' moment for them.

Which had, of course, made her mind drift to the perfect first look that she had experienced.

. . . . . . . . . .

It had been during eighth grade, midway through the first term when her family had moved to Lima. After a long morning of wandering through the school, looking for her classes while being shoved around by the students who actually knew where they were going, lunch hour had finally come and she escaped to the vacant hallways for a reprieve. Or at least she'd thought she'd get a break, until a large boy walked by and pushed her roughly into the wall.

Frustrated and confused, Tina had promptly sat down right there on the floor. She pressed her back against the brick wall, tucked her head into her bent-up knees, and fought to keep her composure. She had known from the start that a new school would be hard, especially for someone as socially impossible as her, but she hadn't expected so much latent hostility. Apart from the occasional sympathetic smile tossed her way in the halls, no one had shown her any real kindness so far.

She would just have to go home and beg her parents to reconsider. Maybe her father could find another place for his work to transfer him, and she could try again somewhere else. Or maybe she should just cut her loses and ask her mum to home-school her. That was probably the best option, really. She just needed to make it through the rest of the day, and then she'd plead with her mum until she saw reason and let Tina study at home.

"Hey."

The voice startled Tina and she flinched instinctively, paranoid from the day's abuse. But no, the voice didn't sound angry or mocking. It was soft, simple and rich. There was something beautiful about the tone, despite the faint crack it had taken halfway through the single syllable. When no hands landed on her, shoving or pulling, she cautiously uncoiled herself.

Tilting her head up, her hair parted and she finally saw the person who had spoken. It was a boy. A boy with the widest blue eyes she'd ever seen, and the sweetest smile curving up his lips. Those were the only details she processed in that moment, because nothing else mattered. Nothing but that expression on his face. There was no rage or contempt or even the pitying false sympathy she'd seen on some of her teachers. No, his face was completely open and sincere, a gentle, encouraging grin on his face as he stared straight back into her eyes intently. For that moment, those brief eleven seconds in the middle of the school hallway, she felt like there was nothing and no one else in the world but the two of them. Something in his piercing gaze made her think that he must feel it too.

And then he broke the poignant moment with a simple question. "Cookie?"

Tina blinked in surprise and her eyes flicked down to his outstretched hand, which was clutching a plastic zip-bag of chocolate chip cookies. She was so caught off guard – the intensity of the moment juxtaposed against the innocence of the question – that she laughed. "S-sure," she replied and fixed him with a grateful smile.

The boy opened the bag and pulled out a cookie, setting it in her palm. He plucked out one for himself and took a small bite before speaking again. "It'll get easier," he said honestly. "In a day or two the novelty'll wear off and they'll leave you alone, I swear it." As her eyes cast over him, taking him in completely, she realised regretfully that he probably had a lot of experience in the area of bullying. "So, new girl, what's your name?" he asked, and his grin was true. Whatever dark things were in this boy's past, he wasn't dwelling on them.

Feeling suddenly self-conscious, Tina's cheeks flushed and she twisted a strand of her newly-dyed blue hair around her finger. "T-tina," she responded.

"Nice to meet you," the boy replied and she believed him as he melted her beneath that endearing smile and those beautiful eyes once again. "I'm Artie."

. . . . . . . . . .

"Artie," Tina breathed, gazing into her reflection accusingly. She wasn't supposed to be thinking of him. Not anymore. She had left him – over a year ago! He had proven that he wasn't as invested in their relationship as she thought he was, so she'd moved on and found something better. She had something great with Mike. They were perfect together. Absolutely perfectly matched in every way. She was totally over what she'd had with Artie.

So then why, during the emotional charged moment on the stage, had her mind drifted to a pair of expressive blue eyes that had seared straight through to her soul?

Groaning pitifully, Tina turned on the tap and splashed a bit of cold water onto her face. She couldn't deal with this right now. No, what was there to deal with? She and Artie were through, no matter what they might have had in the past. She was with Mike now, and she loved him. Just because they hadn't had a decisive 'first look' didn't mean that they weren't true love. Did it?

"Tina? Are you still in here?" Tina looked up and saw Rachel standing in the bathroom doorway. "What are you doing lingering in here? We're going over to Mercedes' for ice cream and girl talk, so we can help her through this whole Sam situation. Are you coming?"

"Yeah, sure," Tina agreed. She hastily dried her face on a paper towel and then turned to Rachel with a stiff smile. It wasn't genuine, but with everyone's attention fixated on Mercedes she knew it would be enough to get her through the night without too many questions. As if to prove her point, Rachel happily linked her arm through Tina's as they left the bathroom and headed in the direction of the parking lot.

In the car she sent a quick text message to Mike, letting her know where she was going, and then tucked her phone away in the depths of her purse before he could respond. She knew what it would say; knew that he'd tell her to have fun and that he loved her. Right now, with her treasonous mind playing tricks on her, a testament of his love was the last thing she wanted to see.

She would push these horrible thoughts from her head, and when she saw Mike before school in the morning she would once again be completely his. No matter how often those damn, beautiful blue eyes kept cropping up in her mind, she would fix this.

Somehow.