AN: A drabble that...helps me cope with what happened in "Duets." Specifically the-SPOILER ALERT-Artie and Brittany thing. As in the losing the virginity thing. Anyway. Enjoy.

Disclaimer: I don't own Glee.


Artie... he has to work at normal.

Has to work twice as hard to be seen as half as good and it sucks, but it's the way it is, and he works at it.

(Tina was his first chance at normal. He kind of blew it. Brittany is his second chance.)

Or that's how she starts out, anyway.

It's not that he's really all that attracted to her, because really, the next girl that calls him a robot…

(Okay, yeah, he'll admit he had a brief daydream about being a transformer, but not the point.)

And the stroller comment was just downright creepy, but Brittany's a girl, and a Cheerio, and Artie's going to take whatever chance at normal he gets.

When Tina asks him to duet with her, he almost (almost!) says yes, but a voice in his head reminds him that she said something that hurt and he's not ready to deal with that can of worms, not yet.

They're in her bedroom, which reminds Artie of his grandma's house, with the flowers and the pastels, and he's trying to teach her how to sing, but she's just not… getting it.

(Normal was easier with Tina. Effortless, almost. He has to work at normal with Brittany and it just.. it's hard.)

He turns around, and wheels for the door, determined to call Tina and—and then Brittany's close, like, uncomfortably close, and Artie is still a boy, wheelchair or no, and then she's picking him up.

This is awkward, and uncomfortable, and Artie wishes she wouldn't, but then she's kissing him, and it's kind of nice.

(He doesn't mean to, but then he does, and he regrets it.)

Isn't that a normal high school experience? To have sex with girls and it doesn't mean anything and to regret it? Isn't that what he wants?

He tries to explain why it hurts so much when he realizes it didn't mean anything. He doesn't think Brittany gets it and his first thought as he wheels away is that Tina would've.

(His second is that Tina would've understood before, and he wouldn't be in this mess.)


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