Bottles Up
Summary: She wasn't perfect, and he had no room to talk. The construction of a relationship meant something they couldn't give. Quinn/Artie Quinn/Will
Set After: 02x01 Audition
Musical Inspiration: Bottles Up by Trey Songz
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It was always disturbing to see Quinn Fabray cry. The tears would be streaking down her face, and her eyes would hold her misery, but her face would be so determined. So strong. There was nothing she couldn't handle, and if there was she wasn't going to show it. It was that strength, the one that showed itself even when she cried, that scared Artie.
He had never been that strong. He didn't cry, but sometimes, he felt like it. The world wasn't in favor of him, he wasn't sure if he could handle the pressure sometimes. Then he'd see Quinn.
She cried alot more than she let on. He saw her on more than one occasion, she tried to hide it.
Even when they grew close, she hid it.
OOOO
"Quinn, what's wrong?"
Their relationship was a secret. He wanted it that way, and she complied.
"Nothing." She attempted to smile, but he knew the truth was in her eyes, she wasn't happy.
He didn't want people to know his girlfriend was Quinn Fabray. She wasn't technically his girlfriend, and they didn't technically have a relationship.
"Quinn." He sighed.
Her teeth sunk into her bottom lip, "Its just, I don't understand why you don't want this to amount to anything."
He did. He wanted it to amount to everything.
"I'm not an idiot, Quinn. I know what people think of me, I know how you feel about your reputation."
She scoffed, "What reputation?"
She always tried to play this. Like she didn't care what people would say about her dating a cripple.
They weren't dating.
She did care.
He did, too.
"I don't have a reputation anymore, teenage pregnancy kinda kills that."
"You are a Cheerio again, back on top."
"I'll never be what I was." She looked into his eyes, usually she averted them, "I want to be happy."
He frowned, "Fine, I understand."
He left before she could explain.
She didn't process the situation until the door slammed.
It was going to be awhile before she was happy again.
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Quinn really shouldn't drink.
The wine coolers that led to Beth's birth were a distance memory as Quinn tilted back the tumbler of bourbon.
It was a new habit. New meaning she didn't remember when she started. It had been a late sleepless night at home, now she was using fake I.D.s and low cut tops to get what she wanted.
Artie didn't know. He didn't care about what she did.
Mr. Shue knew. He came to the same seedy bars with the same mindset as Quinn. The first time they saw each other, he gave her the biggest look of disappointment.
She didn't drink for two days after that.
The next time he sat near her. The fourth time, they sat together. The tenth time, some drunken sleeze hit on her, Mr. Shue saved her from his advances. The twelfth time, Will Shuester's hand rested on her knee and she didn't stop him.
She was drunk, he was drunker, and it was one kiss. Something stopped him from going further, she wouldn't have stopped-but it was his call.
He tried to rationalize it, the next sober time they saw each other.
"I..I...ugh, I..."
She smiled, "It's okay, Mr. Shue. We both were out of it, and I'm not going to tell or anything."
His expression said that wasn't exactly what he wanted to hear, it wasn't what she wanted to say.
She wanted to tell everyone-Artie. Show the world that someone talented and older like Will wanted her, why didn't Artie?
It was her kiss though. No one knew but her. And it was something that no one (not even Artie) would know about.
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She shouldn't have drunk until so late. She left the bar at two, and then hit her private stash until four. She didn't remember getting to school. She didn't remember punching Santana for another snide comment.
She did remember Mr. Shue yelling at her. Coach Sylvester screaming that Quinn was suspended from the team and Santana was cut.
She did remember Mr. Shue offering to drive her home. His car smelt like donuts and McCafe coffee. He had too many CDs scattered about and Run DMC came on when he started the car.
She remembered stroking his hair because it looked like it needed it. She remembered him pulling over at her house, and removing her hand from his ruffled hair.
Earth, Wind and Fire had replaced Run DMC, and she was trying to sing along with the scatting.
He was trying hard not to smile.
She leaned across the gear shift.
The worried look crossed his face, and she returned her hand to his hair, with a smirk.
He breathed relief.
He thought she was going to kiss him, he wouldn't have resisted, just like she wouldn't have if she was in the position.
OOOO
Artie missed Quinn. Sure, she did mean something to him, even though he tried not to act like it.
He would never like her as much as he did Tina. And he would never replace Finn or Puck in her heart.
They didn't talk anymore. He saw her crying more than she used to. She didn't try to hide it as much, because somehow Mr. Shue was usually with her.
Artie didn't understand it. When they had their little thing, she would hide it from him, but he guessed Mr. Shue being a teacher and a father-figure to the club, he must be more comforting to her.
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"Quinn, you need to quit."
"Quit what?"
"Drinking."
"But that would kill the excuse."
"What excuse?"
"The one you use to kiss me."
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She was sober for three days. It was harder than giving labor. She craved it, craved Will's presence. She would try to sleep over the hump, trying to somehow fall asleep and wake up a 90 day sober person.
The allergy pill she took would supply dreams of Artie disapproving and Will smiling. She couldn't reach either of them and Puck and Finn would hold her back when she tried to follow Will or Artie.
She couldn't be awake or sleep.
The End.
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