"Good morning, Sue, what can I do for you today?" Shelby barely looked up from her newspaper as the blonde cheerleading coach sat down opposite her in the faculty lounge.
"I have nothing left to live for."
"I know, I heard about your attempted Sue-icide by gummy vitamins yesterday." Shelby looked at her over the newspaper. Emma Pillsbury had related yesterday's episode to her. "I have to say that was going a little overboard."
"I am in the throes of depression. My life has ended and the Cheerios are dead."
"Where's your cup of bleach, then?"
"I'm fresh out, and my incompetent maid has neglected to stock up. Too busy watching those Spanish telenovelas."
"You do know that sports go on for the whole year, right? Not sure if you got the memo, but tht's actually what cheerleaders do. They cheer." Shelby shook out the newspaper and turned the page. "And your Cheerios are not dead, you get to start up again next year. You get to go right back to spewing vim and vitriol at your poor minions in just a few months."
"Barbra," Sue said solemnly. "I have not lost a competition in seven years. My depression is such that you would not believe, and there is no longer any rhyme or reason to my life. Even my feud with Will Schuester has been lost, and that smug toilet brush has won the rest of the Cheerios budget for the year."
"Ellen," Shelby answered just as solemnly, putting down the paper. "Get over yourself."
Sue stared at her contemplatively for a moment. "I must say, I find your utter lack of sympathy refreshing. Scotch-Brite and Bambi pretend they don't care, but their desire to console me from my utter humiliation is sickening. Really, I half-expect them to ask me to join the Mouth-Breather Club."
"That would just be a dream come true for you, wouldn't it," Shelby asked sardonically, before her eyes widened in realization. She gazed calculatingly at the coach, wondering if she should intervene. On the one hand, Ryan really cared about the glee club, and she wouldn't want anything to jeopardize it. On the other hand, there was always the chance that Sue would backfire and end up bringing the team even closer together. Plus it would be interesting to watch.
"It most certainly would not," Sue denied. "But I am willing to try anything to pull me out of my doldrums, including subjecting myself to the wailing that Q-Tip considers music."
Shelby nodded slowly, picking the newspaper back up. "Whatever floats your boat, Sylvester."
"Glad we understand each other, Barbra."
..
That afternoon, Ryan and the rest of the New Directions received the surprise of their lives: Coach Sylvester was there, and according to Mr. Schue would be there for the rest of the week. After initial protests and one threat by the Cheerios Coach to shoot someone with an airgun, the irate glee club settled down.
"Now," Mr. Schue went on, having quelled the angry masses for now. "I've just received a letter from the show choir committee. It seems the governing board has assigned a theme to this year's Regionals, and part of our score will be based on how well we interpret it. And this year's theme is… anthem." He looked around expectantly. "Now who can tell me what an anthem is?"
Ryan quickly raised his hand, only to beaten to the punch by Brittany. "It's the bottom of an ant's pants."
Mr. Schue gave her a look. "So close. So close. No. An anthem is a song, full of emotion that somehow seems bigger than itself, than the person performing." Ryan rolled his eyes. Again, if he didn't want an answer, why ask? Oh yes, he wanted an answer from anyone else besides Ryan.
"Mr. Schue?" Sam raised his hand.
"Oh, hey Sam," Mr. Schue nodded at him. "I didn't even notice your new haircut." Sure enough, Sam was sporting the iconic hairstyle of one Justin Bieber, compelling the entire glee club to stare at him.
"I've been working on a new haircut to go with my new one-man band, the Justin Bieber Experience."
Quinn stared at him. "You have got to be kidding me."
"Dude, the haircut makes your mouth look even bigger," Puck said in awe.
Coach Sylvester held out her hand to shush Puck, looking intensely at Sam. "Let her speak."
Sam looked at them. "Laugh all you want. But there's a new number I've been working on that I want to show you. And I think it qualifies as an anthem because… it's hugely emotional and sums up our generation." Ryan held back a snort of derision. Justin Bieber, hugely emotional? Sure.
Mr. Schue nodded, clapping Sam on the shoulder. "Let's hear it, buddy."
Sam nodded, picking up an acoustic guitar, and launching into a rendition of Justin Bieber's Baby, much to the initial derision of the entire glee club.
Ryan watched, mostly unimpressed by the performance. First of all, he was still quite annoyed with Sam after finding out that he'd tried to kiss Quinn. Yes, it had been a while ago, and he didn't exactly want to punch those giant lips anymore, but still. Also while he considered himself to have an appreciation of all musical genres, Justin Bieber was not one of his favorites. The music was too teeny-bopper for him, and the singer's voice was childish and hadn't dropped yet. Most of the boys seemed to agree with him, if the skeptical looks on their faces were anything to go by.
Unfortunately, the girls didn't quite appear to concur with the male opinion. Ryan glanced around, and most of them were bopping to the beat. He exchanged a look with Mike when they noted that Quinn and Tina seemed to be enjoying Sam's ridiculous dancing a little too much. Then he frowned as Sam sat down in front of Quinn and seemed to be singing to her. Yeah, he'd focused on each of the girls one by one, but Ryan did not like him so close to Quinn.
The performance was soon over – not quickly enough for Ryan's taste – and he exited the choir room with Quinn, shaking his head as Coach Sylvester murmured that she had to get Sam on the Cheerios. "What was that?" he asked his girlfriend suspiciously.
Quinn looked at him curiously. "What was what?"
"That," Ryan said a little dramatically, gesturing back at the choir room. "You can't actually tell me you liked that."
The blonde shrugged, smiling slightly. "I just thought it was kind of fun."
"Seriously?" Ryan asked incredulously, trying to tamp down some of the jealousy that was rising up. It was irrational, he knew Quinn wasn't going to drop him for a blonde Bieber.
"Well, yeah."
Ryan continued to stare at her. "Quinn, Justin Bieber is a sugary pop singer whose main target audience is twelve-year-old girls."
"I know that," Quinn answered a little defensively. "But it was cute."
"Oh my god," Ryan said, scandalized. "Your taste in music is suddenly very much in question. If you were anyone else I'd probably be reconsidering our entire relationship right now."
Quinn rolled her eyes at him. "Very funny."
..
Unfortunately, Quinn wasn't the only one who had reacted in a bizarre manner to Sam's Justin Bieber Experience. Mike was having a similar problem with Tina as he kissed her in the hallway. He felt her arms moving strangely behind him, and he turned his head to look. "Are you playing Angry Birds?" he asked incredulously.
Tina quickly put the phone down. "Sorry."
Mike groped for something to catch her interest, but they'd been in a bit of a slump since Valentine's Day. "Want me to show you my abs?"
"If you want to…" she answered apathetically. He lifted his shirt, only to have Tina go right back to her game. She looked up after a moment. "Hey, I gotta go to class…" she gave him a quick kiss on the cheek and left him at his locker. Mike shook his head. Ryan approached Mike a few seconds later.
"What's up with you two?" he asked the Asian boy.
"Nothing," Mike sighed. "As in, actually nothing. It's the usual post-Valentine's Day slump. The girls get all high on the chocolates and the flowers, and then they crash." It seemed to be a thing all over the school. "That Justin Bieber Experience though," Mike continued thoughtfully. "It was like a girl magnet."
Ryan gaped at Mike as they walked to their next class. "You cannot be serious right now."
"Didn't you see how the girls were squealing at Sam?" Mike asked. "Sorry," he added, remembering that Ryan wasn't exactly friendly with Sam. Mike couldn't blame him, he wouldn't have reacted well to anyone trying to kiss Tina either.
"What's your point?"
"Artie's been having the same problem with Brittany, and we were thinking, maybe we could get in with Sam. You saw how the girls were. Maybe a jolt of the Bieber Experience is what we need to get some action again. You could come with us," he suggested.
Ryan stared at him in disbelief. "Has everyone gone insane today? Justin Bieber is a child who's riding on Usher's coattails to fame. He is not a girl magnet, if a girl came onto him it would probably be classified as statutory rape. And even if I were willing to lower myself to that questionable level of musicality, I do not want to go into it with Sam, of all people."
"Right," Mike nodded sympathetically. "Just thought I'd throw it out there. And yeah, I think Bieber's overrated too, it's just that I can't think of anything to jumpstart things with Tina."
Ryan sighed. "Well, you go right ahead. I'll think of something else to serenade Quinn."
"I'm sure you'll think of something," Mike agreed. "And hey, if you need help, I've got your back."
He received a broad smile from the other boy. "Thanks, Mike. That means a lot."
The glee club met again the next afternoon. Ryan entered the room, frowning when he saw only the girls and Finn inside, along with Mr. Schue and Coach Sylvester. He sat down next to Quinn, who was having a whispered conversation with Finn. "Hi Quinn." He gave her a kiss on the cheek, taking her hand as he looked at the tall quarterback. "Finn."
"Hey Ryan." Finn nodded at him. Quinn smiled at Ryan, squeezing his hand.
"Sweet Jesus, who bought tickets to crazy town?" Mercedes asked loudly in exasperation.
Meanwhile, Ryan was too busy staring at the four boys who had just entered the room to say anything. Sam was dressed the same way as yesterday, with his blonde hair combed into the (in)famous Bieber 'do. The surprise was the other three boys. Artie and Mike had their hair coiffed into a similar style, but Puck had somehow gotten a head full of hair, and was tossing it to keep it out of his eyes. The rest of the glee club's jaws were hanging open as they made their entrance. Ryan glanced surreptitiously at Quinn, who had that smile on her face again.
"All right," Mr. Schue said. "Looks like the guys here are ready to give us their anthem."
"Hey everybody," Sam spoke. "We are the new and improved The Justin Bieber Experience. And we think this song is an anthem because everything Bieber does is epic."
Ryan noticed Finn's face screw up incredulously. Looks like he wasn't the only one who thought this whole rigmarole was ridiculous. Unfortunately any sense of camaraderie was ruined by the fact that he was pretty sure Finn was still trying to get Quinn back.
The whole glee club moved to the auditorium for the performance, and as soon as the boys came out with Somebody to Love, the girls started squealing and rushed to the front of the stage. Ryan, Finn, and the two teachers followed at a more sedate pace. Out of the four of them, Mr. Schue seemed to be the only one enjoying himself.
Critically, Ryan admitted that the production was okay. The four boys had opted to imitate the music video for the song, and the flying chalk dust against the black background made a pretty good effect. Focused as he was on the performance, he jumped slightly as a person sat down next to him. "Mom, you're gonna give me a heart attack," he scowled at Shelby, who gave him an unimpressed look.
"I would have thought that was already giving you one," she whispered quietly, gesturing at the performance. "The vocals are okay, but Justin Bieber? You're seriously thinking of doing Justin Bieber for Regionals? Talk about suicide."
"I know that," Ryan grumbled. "I'm still trying to figure out how to talk Mr. Schue out of this one."
"And how exactly is this an anthem?"
Ryan looked at her suspiciously. "How did you find out about the anthem requirement?"
"I have my ways."
Ryan just grunted in response, gazing back sourly at the girls, who were completely enamored with the performance. "You're a girl," he whispered to his mom. "Why do girls like Justin Bieber so much, huh?" He noticed Finn listening in on them, and shot a frown at the taller boy.
Shelby rolled her eyes, shrugging. "I don't know. I'm a girl, but I'm not twelve years old," she snarked. "Ask your girlfriend, who seems to have regressed in age." She nodded pointedly at the crowd of excited girls.
"I tried that, she just said it was kind of cute."
"Then there you go."
"What are you doing here, anyways?" Ryan asked. He was actually pleased that she was here, at least he wasn't the only one besides Finn who thought this was stupid. Thank god his mom had good musical taste.
"I just thought I could use a break. And free entertainment," Shelby added with a smirk.
"Right."
..
"Okay, I don't get it."
Quinn looked up from her locker at her boyfriend's statement. "Get what?"
"Why you all think the Justin Bieber Experience is so amazing," Ryan answered. "I've already made all my points clear. I think Bieber's songs are childish, his voice is too high, and his hair is tacky. So I really don't get why you girls were all squealing during those performances today and yesterday."
"I thought it was gonna be stupid too," Quinn admitted. "But it was just so… shameless. They just went up there and owned it. It was sexy."
"Sexy?" Ryan gaped at her. Quinn detected a bit of hurt in his voice, and opened her mouth only to be cut off. "Quinn, the Justin Bieber Experience contains the guy who got you pregnant, and the guy who tried to kiss you earlier this year. That doesn't exactly sit very well with me."
Quinn sighed. "Ry, I already told you, I don't feel anything for either of them."
"You just said you thought they were sexy!"
"I don't think they're sexy, I think the fact that they got up there and did something way out of their comfort zones was sexy," Quinn argued. She put a hand on his cheek. "Trust me, you're the only one that gets me hot."
Ryan kept his adorable pout for another moment before relenting. "Fine," he grumbled. "But please refrain from calling any other guys 'sexy' around me, okay? It's not nice."
"Done," Quinn agreed. She leaned forward, smiling slyly. "You know what really turns me on?"
She smirked when she heard the soft hitch in his breath. "What?"
"Artists." Quinn ran a finger slowly down his chest, keeping her smile on her face. "And you're my favorite one." She leaned back, patting his chest, before turning and sauntering off to her next class.
..
That evening Ryan ended up at his dad's apartment for dinner, since Shelby had a faculty meeting. James had picked him up at school. "Good pizza," Ryan commented with a smirk, as he ate his third slice. James glared at him.
"Sure, laugh it up, kid."
"It's rather comforting to know that I inherited my lack of cooking skills somewhere," the teenager continued, glancing meaningfully at the charred pan in the sink. They had attempted to cook something, but unfortunately they had been unsuccessful.
"I'm so proud," James answered sardonically, opening the fridge. He pulled out a can of beer, popping it open. Ryan watched curiously.
"I don't suppose I could have one?" he asked.
"Sure." James pulled another can out of the fridge. "Here."
Ryan blinked at him. "You're offering me a beer?" he asked in confusion, not really expecting a positive response.
"Yeah," James shrugged. "I figure you teens are already drinking anyways, and it's just us anyways."
"Okay," Ryan smiled. He'd never actually had a real drink before. He'd only been to one party and he'd been too scared of his mom to drink anything stronger than Kool-Aid. His dad was offering though, so he was covered. James pulled another can out of the fridge, handing it to Ryan. He opened it just as James turned on the TV. Taking a swig, he grimaced a little at the bitter flavor. It was okay, not really something he'd want to drink all the time. "So. What do you think of Justin Bieber?"
James stared at him blankly. "Who?"
..
An hour or so later, Shelby knocked on the door of James' apartment to pick Ryan up. Ryan opened the door, grinning at his mom when he saw her. "Hi, Mom!"
"Hi sweetie, ready to go?" Shelby asked, stepping into the apartment. Ryan nodded and went into the other room to get his things. She smirked when she saw the pizza box. James always had been hopeless at cooking. Then her eyes narrowed as she spotted the two cans of beer on the coffee table.
"Hey Shelby," James said amiable, standing up to give her a kiss on the cheek. Shelby gave him a tight smile just as Ryan came back from the other room.
"Okay, all ready," he said. As he spoke, Shelby leaned forward, eyes narrowing even further when she smelled a hint of the alcohol on her sixteen-year-old's breath.
"Good. Sweetie, how about you go get in the car, I just need to talk to your dad for a second."
Ryan shrugged. "Okay." Shelby watched carefully as he walked outside before turning to James with a hard glare on her face.
"What the hell did you think you were doing?" she seethed.
James winced slightly. "Shelby –"
"Your son is sixteen, he has no business drinking any sort of alcohol!"
"It was just one beer, he didn't even finish the whole can! It's not like I got him drunk or anything! And besides, like you said, he's sixteen. Come on, Shelby. We got up to a lot more than that when we were kids."
"That's not the point," Shelby insisted. "You're his father. You are not one of his classmates, he is not one of your Army buddies. He's your son. You're not supposed to be the one giving him alcohol!"
"You know, if we forbid him from doing it, he's probably going to do it anyways," James fired back. "It was in a controlled environment, I didn't see any harm in it! That's why I offered!"
"You offered him the alcohol?" Shelby asked, even more annoyed now.
"Yeah. And like you said, he's my kid too, don't I get a say?
"No, not yet, because the way this whole thing is arranged, I am going to be the one who ends up as the bad guy when he comes home drunk at one in the morning!" Shelby sighed angrily, rubbing her head with one hand. "Look, we'll talk about this next time, it's late and we both have work tomorrow."
"Fine," James answered. Shelby just nodded, and turned to walk out the door, pausing when James spoke again. "Text me or something when you get home, okay?''
"Yeah." Shelby made her way downstairs to her car, where Ryan was waiting a tad impatiently. Looks like she needed to give him a stern talking to about drinking. Though she wasn't sure if he was entirely at fault since James had offered the beer. What teenager would turn down parent-sanctioned booze?
"Can I drive?" he asked. Shelby stared at him.
"No."
Quinn entered the cafeteria for lunch the next day, quickly spotting Mike and Ryan sitting at a table. She ordered her food, then slid in next to Ryan just as Tina sat down next to Mike. "Hey guys," Quinn greeted, opening the juice box that came with her lunch. Seriously, the cafeteria people thought they were feeding kindergarteners. "What are you up to?"
"Oh, nothing," Ryan smiled, kissing the side of her head. "Just exchanging some thoughts on choreography. Mike's really good at it, you know."
Tina grinned. "Yep, I know. He choreographed for the Justin Bieber Experience, after all." Mike blushed at the comment as Tina kissed him, and Ryan just chuckled. A slight smirk spread across Quinn's face, knowing Ryan's opinion of the group.
"Do any of you have anything in mind for the anthem thing at Regionals?" Tina asked.
"Not really," Quinn shrugged.
"I know Finn's working on something for later," Mike revealed. "He was talking about it in the locker rooms this morning."
"Fantastic," Ryan sighed. "To be honest, as much… fun… as the Bieber songs have been, they're just not anthem material. And I don't think we could win Regionals with them, especially against the Warblers and Oral Intensity. No offense," he added quickly for Mike's sake.
"None taken."
The group of four chatted some more amongst themselves. Quinn found Mike and Tina pretty easy to talk to. Although considering she was friends with Santana and Brittany, with whom she always had to be on her game, that was pretty much a given. The bell rang, and they got up for classes. "See you after class?" she asked her boyfriend.
He made a face. "Actually, I've got something planned with Mike after class. Maybe after dinner later?"
"Oh," Quinn said, a little surprised. This was a first. Ryan didn't have many guy friends, and as such rarely had conflicts when she wanted some time with him. She was happy for him though, Mike seemed like a nice guy, and Ryan probably should have friends other than her. She nodded. "Okay, that's fine."
"Great," Ryan smiled, giving her a kiss on the cheek.
..
At the afternoon glee meeting, Finn entered the choir room, and Ryan had to stare at him like everybody else. For some reason, he was wearing the same getup as the Justin Bieber Experience, with a maroon hoodie and his hair swept across his forehead. Ryan watched suspiciously as Coach Sylvester leaned down and whispered something in his ear.
The Cheerios coach leaned back just as Tina sat down next to the quarterback. "Thought you weren't into the Biebster."
"Well, I wasn't," Finn answered. "Then somebody told me Justin Bieber's like the King of YouTube, with over a billion views? And an anthem was supposed to appeal to the masses, right? So before I picked my anthem, I was working on my anthem look."
Quinn came in, sitting down next to Ryan with a weird look directed at Finn. "What's up with that?"
"No idea."
"Okay, everybody," Mr. Schuster called. "Let's settle down. Today we've got Finn singing for us, take it away, Finn." He sat down, letting his student take the stage.
"Hey guys," Finn said, smiling. "Now, I'm not really sure what makes an anthem an anthem or whatever, but the way I see it, you just really need to feel it." He nodded at the band, who started up the music. Ryan quickly recognized the song Open Arms, and had to suppress an eye roll. Of course Finn would pick a Journey song, he was Mr. Schuester's mini-me after all.
He did an okay job with the song, straining as usual on the high notes, but Ryan didn't mind. What he did mind, though, was the fact that Finn sang most of the song to Quinn.
So now I come to you
With open arms
Nothing to hide
Believe what I say
So here I am
With open arms
Hoping you'll see
What your love means to me
Open arms
Ryan gritted his teeth as Finn stood there in front of Quinn, singing his heart out about how he wanted her back, and all Ryan could think about was how satisfying it would be to just reach over and sock him in the eye. He didn't, though, since he had to stay professional. Not to mention the action wouldn't particularly endear him to Quinn. Or Shelby, for that matter. He was gratified to see that some of the glee club were slightly uncomfortable with Finn's focus on Quinn as well, while others were indifferent.
Mr. Schue stood up as the song ended. "Thank you Finn. If no one's got anything else, we'll all meet back here tomorrow." The students all stood up and started to disperse. Ryan took his bag and went immediately after Finn. He pulled the tall boy around to face him.
"What the hell was that?" he fumed.
"What?" Finn asked innocently. "It was a journey song. Like I said, not sure if it was really an anthem, but whatever, you know?"
Ryan scowled at him. "I know what you were trying to do, and it's not going to work."
"Relax, man, I wasn't trying to do anything," Finn answered, with that annoying smirk on his face. "But if I was, you look kinda worried. Why, think it'll work?"
"You –" Ryan took a deep breath to get himself under control. He so wanted to smash that expression off of Finn's face. "I'm not going to tell you to stay away from Quinn, because that's horribly clichéd," he ground out. "But I'm telling you to back off from my girlfriend. Don't sing to her again, you understand?"
"I wasn't singing to her."
"Back off, Hudson, I'm warning you," Ryan said, glaring at the taller boy straight in the eye.
Finn raised his hands. "Dude, chill," he said smugly. "I'm not up to anything." He turned around and sauntered off, leaving Ryan glaring after him.
Ryan took another deep breath, trying to get himself to relax. He's just jealous because he knows Quinn's not going back to him. He started to calm down. He was confident that Quinn was with him. He just didn't trust Finn. One more breath. He shook his head, and turned around to go meet Mike.
..
Later that evening, James stepped up to Shelby's porch, knocking on the door. He waited a few moments, before Shelby finally answered, opening the door and looking at him expectantly.
James fidgeted a little. "I'm sorry, okay? About last night."
Shelby looked at him impassively. "Good."
"And I guess you're right. The way things are now, I'm sort of the fun parent, because you're the one who deals with the everyday things. And I'm sorry if I overstepped."
Shelby sighed, then after a moment stepped aside to let him into the house. "It's okay. I kind of overreacted too." She paused. "It's just weird, you know? Having to jump into this whole parenting thing, straight to teenager?" She chuckled humorlessly. "It's like when they're kids, it's parenting with training wheels, so that you're not totally unprepared when they turn into teenagers and the shit hits the fan."
"Neither of us know what we're doing, do we?" James asked morosely. "You're right, since he's older it's easy to forget he's my kid and not just another one of my buddies."
"The boundaries get confusing," Shelby admitted. "I mean, I deal with teenagers. Like, all the time. For years. But it's different when it's your kid." The two were quiet for a while. "Just… I want you to talk to me, when you're making decisions about him, okay? If we're going to do this co-parenting thing together, we need to communicate."
"Deal." He didn't just want to be the fun parent, it wasn't fair to Shelby. He decided that he was going to try to step it up a little. "Where is he anyways?"
"Oh, he stayed at school, he said he wanted to work on something with Mike Chang," Shelby answered. "And then he said he was going to Quinn's."
"Right," James nodded. A sly smile spread over his face. "Well, maybe we should take advantage of the fact that we have the house all to ourselves, then…"
A smile matching his appeared on Shelby's face as well. "Hmm, that might be a good idea," she said coyly, inhaling sharply as his arms suddenly wrapped around her waist, pulling them closer together. "Not wasting any time, are we?" she asked.
"I do hate to waste time," James agreed, smiling as he leaned down to crash his lips against hers.
The next day Quinn walked into McKinley in quite a good mood. Last night had been great. Ryan had shown up just after dinner, and they had had a fantastic make-out session. He'd been a little different, more aggressive, which was just fine by her. Up until her mom had arrived and he'd had to leave, that is. She'd woken up really happy that morning, and it was a pretty good day, all in all. She went up to her locker, frowning slightly at the bare green door. She had expected… Well, never mind. She opened it to pull out her books for the day when she felt a tap on her shoulder. She was greeted by her smiling boyfriend, who immediately swooped down to steal a kiss. "Happy birthday," he said brightly.
Quinn beamed back at him. "Thanks." She pulled him into another kiss, smiling at his minty flavor before turning back to her locker.
"What's the problem?" Ryan asked.
She shook her head slightly. "Nothing. It's just…never mind." She opened the locker and placed her things inside.
"What?" Ryan prodded curiously.
Quinn shrugged. "The past two years, on my birthday, whenever I get to my locker in the morning, there's a gardenia stuck on the locker door with a green ribbon. I thought maybe I'd be able to catch whoever's been leaving it this year, but it looks like they gave up."
She closed the door and turned to face Ryan, only to see her boyfriend holding a white gardenia, complete with a green ribbon, wearing a small smile on his face.
Quinn stared at him. "It was you?"
Ryan offered her the flower. "Guilty. I've always admired you." He smiled when she took the white flower, giving it a sniff.
"It matches my eyes."
"Exactly." Anything else he might have said was cut off by Quinn crashing their lips together in another kiss. The broke apart seconds later, Quinn smiling at the goofy look on Ryan's face.
"Thank you," she said, pulling him into a hug.
Ryan smiled happily, wrapping his arms around her waist. "You're welcome. I researched what flower to give you the first time, and gardenias were perfect. They mean that I think you're lovely, which I very much do, and they also symbolize a secret love."
Quinn smiled at the fact that he'd had a crush on her even then. And it was so like her boyfriend to research what kind of flower to give her rather than pick a random one off the side of the road. She looked up from the flower just in time to see him pull a small box out of the pocket of his brown jacket. He presented it to her and she opened it to find a small silver gardenia charm inside.
Ryan gently took the box from her, pulling the charm out. "I thought this would be a good one to symbolize today, since I was banking on the fact that you hadn't figured out I was behind the gardenias for the past two years," he said, taking her wrist. She watched as he easily clasped the gardenia onto the bracelet he'd given her last Christmas. She wore it all the time now.
When he finished, Quinn held out her arm, admiring the bracelet, before placing a soft kiss on her boyfriend's cheek. "I love you."
Ryan smiled at her adoringly. "I love you too." He offered her his arm, and they walked off to their first class.
..
The glee club met again that afternoon, and Lauren had made her first solo debut in front of the New Directions. Ryan watched skeptically as the large girl walked up. He still wasn't quite convinced that she could sing. "So what are you going to sing for us, Lauren?" Mr. Schue asked.
"Okay, so here's how I see it," Lauren said in her flat voice. "I know I'm the hottest bitch in this joint. If I was a country, my flag would be a giant fist giving the rest of the world a finger, and this would be my national anthem." Ryan cocked his head at her from his front row seat next to Quinn.
"O-kay," Mr. Schue said, going to sit down as Lauren called Puck, Tina, and Brittany to back her up. She then counted off and launched into I Know What Boys Like by the Waitresses.
Like the rest of the club, Ryan watched in fascination as Lauren sang. It wasn't bad, but it wasn't particularly good either. She seemed to floundering in the beginning before getting into her groove by the second stanza. Ryan was a little put off by the strange smirk she was wearing, it was almost like she was imagining them all in their underwear. At one point Lauren had her chest in Artie's face, leaving the boy a little dazed and in shock. She'd almost done the same to Ryan but Quinn had held out her hand and glared at Lauren, causing her to back away. Thank god for his girlfriend.
Lauren finished up her performance to loud applause from the glee club, who had gotten into the song about halfway in. Ryan had noticed Mr. Schue looking uncomfortable and Coach Sylvester looking… well, like she usually did.
"How fricking hot is she?" Puck asked happily as he clapped. Ryan hid a smile, knowing Puck was still smitten by the female wrestler who wasn't making it easy for him. It seemed Puck had finally met his match. He hoped it ended well.
"Okay, so does anyone else have anything?"
Ryan quickly raised his hand, and Mr. Schue nodded at him. He stood up, going to the front of the room. "Now, this doesn't actually qualify as an anthem." Not that the past performances this week had. "But it's a special performance for my girlfriend." He smiled at Quinn. "In light of our conversation a few days ago, I've decided to perform something a little out of my usual genre." He glanced at the band, giving them the signal.
The guitarist started the upbeat music with the drummer, and he closed his eyes, immersing himself into the music. True, this was outside his usual repertoire of Broadway showtunes, but he knew he could do it. He'd certainly be better than Finn, anyways. When his cue came up he took the mic, his eyes opening.
You're so delicious
You're so soft
Sweet on the tip of my tongue
You taste like sunlight
And strawberry bubble gum
You bite my lip
You spike my blood
You make my heart beat faster
Own me, you own
You rattle my bones
You turn me over and over
'Til I can't control myself
Make me a liar
One big disaster
You make my heart beat faster
Ryan focused his voice into the drawling, bouncing notes, the style so different from the broad belts he was used to, as he slid around the room in the choreography Mike had helped him with yesterday. He glanced at Quinn as he sang, feeling all his effort worth it when he saw the surprised smile on her face, saw her laugh in delight at his performance.
It's the way you swell, slow
Pushing right out your seams
It's the way you smile, baby
When you've got me on my knees
Your all night noise
Your siren howl
You make my heart, beat, faster
He threw himself into the music and the dancing as he went into the chorus again, not minding at all if he looked ridiculous. The rest of the glee club was smiling and clapping along to the beat now, and Quinn had the biggest grin of them all.
Cause I jump back, crash, I crawl
I beg and steal, I follow you
Yeah you own me
And you make my heart beat faster
You own me, you own
You rattle my bones
You turn me over and over
'Til I can't control myself
Make me a liar
One big disaster
You make my heart beat faster
He came to a stop in front of his girlfriend, panting from the effort he'd pushed into the song. The rest of the glee club burst into applause, and Quinn stood up, throwing her arms around him in a hug. "Happy birthday."
"Wanky," Santana called out. The couple ignored her though.
..
Later that evening Ryan showed up at the Fabray residence after dinner. Judy opened the door, and Ryan smiled at her. "Good evening, Judy," he said pleasantly.
"Hi Ryan," she answered with a smile, letting him inside. "Quinn's just upstairs."
"Okay," he replied. He knew she and Quinn had been spending more time together, and dinner on Quinn's birthday had been a special event. He was glad Judy was making the effort to repair relations with Quinn. "How was your dinner?"
"It went well," his girlfriend's mother replied. "Thank you. For your suggestion."
"Did she like it?"
"Definitely," Judy laughed. "She's upstairs with it now. She knows I'm going out, I have… well." She trailed off at the end.
"Okay," Ryan smiled encouragingly. He knew from Quinn that she had AA meetings every Thursday night. "Thanks, Judy." He went upstairs, knocking on Quinn's door before entering. "Hey."
Quinn looked up as soon as he entered, a broad smile on her face. "Hey you."
Ryan went up to the bedside to have Quinn pull him down to lie beside her. "So, do you like it?" he asked, gesturing at the object in her hands.
"Definitely," she beamed, and Ryan had to smile at the realization that she'd given the exact same answer as her mother. Genetics were truly amazing. His smile widened as Quinn aimed a brand-new Nikon DSLR camera at him. "Smile."
"Already am," Ryan teased, flashing her his most camera-worthy smile as she shot the photo. He craned his head around to see the shot. "Nice," he said appreciatively.
"Thank you," Quinn said.
"I just posed. True, it was an amazing pose, but it was nothing."
She shook her head. "My mom told me you were the one who suggested it to her."
"Ah." Ryan smiled in amusement. "Well, she was at loose ends for a birthday present for you. And I knew you wanted one of those. It was a teensy bit out of my price range, but I figured she could get it for you."
"Like I said, thanks." Quinn kissed him on the cheek, snuggling closer against him. She held out the camera, taking a selfie of the two of them. Ryan chuckled, loving how excited she was. She rarely got like this.
"I love you," he said softly. "Lucy." Quinn blushed slightly at the name, leaning her head against his.
"Love you too."
Ryan smiled, turning his head to place a kiss on his girlfriend's neck. "Your mom said she's leaving, I know she's got AA today," Ryan mumbled, causing Quinn to shiver. He gently took the camera from her hands, carefully sliding it onto the bedside table before turning to place a soft kiss on Quinn's lips. She moaned, turning to face him and slipping a hand into his shirt. Ryan moaned happily as her tongue delved into his mouth.
Then he pulled back slightly, making her huff in mild irritation, before quickly flipping them so that he was on top. Quinn blinked up at him in surprise, before he smiled and leaned it to kiss her, closing his eyes as he let himself melt into her.
They broke apart a few seconds later to breathe. "I loved your performance today," Quinn said dreamily.
"Thanks," Ryan smiled. "I'm glad. It was quite a different experience for me, I don't think I've ever sung anything like that before."
Quinn smiled at him, running a hand through his hair. He closed his eyes, relaxing at the sensation. Then they flew open again as Quinn pulled him down on top of her. He suddenly flashed hot all over as the movement caused their bodies to press flush against each other. He swore he could feel ever part of her front molding to his. Quinn's smile turned coy. "I told you artists turn me on." She put a hand on the back of his head, drawing him in for another kiss.
"Mmm, I can tell," Ryan answered, lightly licking down her neck. He slid one hand up her thigh and into her skirt. Slowly, because even though they'd done almost everything but sex her was still wary of pushing her too fast. She didn't protest though, instead arching her hips against his, and making him groan at the pressure. He slipped his fingers into her underwear, moaning at the wetness he found there. He brushed lightly against her entrance, making her whine softly, before pulling his hand back out. "Definitely turned on," he said, smirking slightly at his wet digits.
"Are you gonna do anything about it?" Quinn asked, a hint of a challenge in her eyes. Instead of responding, Ryan looked her straight in the eye before pushing his fingers into his mouth. Her hazel eyes darkened in arousal as he sucked.
He smiled at her lasciviously. "You taste amazing." He leaned his head back down, brushing his lips against his girlfriend's as he thrust lightly against her, earning a soft gasp. She tangled her right hand in his hair again, pulling him down to deepen the kiss. He indulged for a few moments before pulling back with a smile, working his way down her body so he was kneeling between her legs.
"Wh-what are you doing?" she questioned breathlessly, confusion mixed with the arousal in her eyes. Ryan smiled at her a tad nervously, running his hands lightly up and down her legs.
"I thought maybe I'd give you the same birthday present you gave me a couple of months ago," he answered, searching her eyes hopefully.
"What? Why?"
"I thought it might be nice. Obviously I won't do it if you don't want me to, but I would really, really like to," he said, his gaze burning. He could practically smell her from here, and that taste he'd had earlier had turned him on more than he'd expected.
Quinn nodded, a little jerkily. "Okay."
Ryan smiled, smoothing his hands on the inside of her thighs. "Just relax." His smile broadened as he felt her do as he said. He slipped his hand up again, slowly pulling her panties down before running his finger over her clit again, giving her enough time to stop him if she wanted to. She didn't though. The movement was familiar now, after the two had spent several awkward sessions with him figuring out what he was doing. She bucked up against his fingers at the touch, and Ryan moved his body lower on the bed, pushing her skirt up to get access before gently spreading her open.
He lowered his head, taking a deep breath, and he was immediately intoxicated by her scent surrounding him. He sighed in satisfaction. Quinn let out a gasp. "I don't suppose you'd like to get a move on down there?"
Ryan chuckled at Quinn's breathless comment. "As you command," he quipped, once more brushing his finger against her before leaning down to lick tentatively at her clit. He was surprised when her hips jumped up at the contact, and he instinctively brought his hands up to her thighs to hold her down.
Soon he started to experiment, trying out different movements with his mouth, figuring out what she liked from the sounds she was making and the way her hips trembled under his hold. Her hand tangled tightly in his hair as he sucked lightly on her clit. He pulled away for a second. "Is this ok –"
The hand in his hair immediately pushed him back down. Looks like it was more than okay. He slowly ran his tongue over her entrance, before pushing in slightly. Her hand tightened in his hair, her body shaking under his hold. "Oh god, Ryan!"
He'd been completely hard for a while now, his erection pressing into the bed as he worked, and he groaned as he humped lightly against the mattress. His voice seemed to make Quinn shake even more, trying to buck up against him, and he hummed experimentally, causing his tongue to vibrate inside her. He heard her whining incoherently above him, her legs trying to close instinctively even as he held her open.
He could tell she was close now, and he redoubled his efforts, thrusting and licking at her as he rubbed his cock against the bed. He was really close too. A second later, he pulled out, sucking at her clit again. Finally, with a strangled cry, she came apart, twitching on the bed as he kept on sucking at her, rubbing lightly at her thighs. With his own groan, he climaxed too, the knowledge that he'd caused Quinn's orgasm enough to trigger his own.
For a second he slumped down on the bed, recovering, before crawling up to Quinn's side and wrapping an arm around her. Quinn opened her eyes a few moments later, and Ryan was pleased to see the satisfaction in them. He smiled. "So?"
"Your face is wet," Quinn answered. Ryan automatically brought his hand up to his chin and found that yes, his face was indeed still wet.
"I'll go clean up –"
He was cut off by his girlfriend simply cupping the back of his neck with one hand and pulling him into a kiss. Ryan closed his eyes, moaning at the eroticism of the moment. He had the best girlfriend ever.
On Monday, Ryan and Quinn walked into the choir room to find Santana sitting in Sam's lap. "When did that happen?" he heard Mercedes ask. Ryan stared at the couple in confusion, before sighing. He really thought Santana should just admit to what she felt about Brittany, but if she didn't want to, there wasn't really any point in pushing.
"All right," Mr. Schue spoke up. "I hate to say it, but I think we all owe Sue a big thank you. She may hate us, but she did give us a kick-butt song for Regionals." The room clapped in response, Ryan noting the motion of somebody lurking just outside the choir room door. His focus returned to the glee club though, and he raised his hand.
"Mr. Schuester, I think our admiration for Coach Sylvester may be a little premature," he stated. "I think our performance of My Chemical Romance was spectacular, but as captain of the glee club, I don't think that song is good enough for Regionals. The Warblers have Kurt and Blaine, and Oral Intensity kicked our asses last year. We need something really special to beat both of them."
"You mean a number where you get to sing the entire song," Mercedes snarked.
Ryan sighed. "This isn't about me."
"What do you suggest?" Mr. Schue asked.
"We need something bold and epic." Ryan took a breath before making his proposal. "We need to write original songs for Regionals. It'll give us an undisputable advantage." He could sense that the idea wasn't quite well received. "We can't lose this year, you guys," he pushed. "Trust me, guys, I really think this is the way to go."
"Let's put it to a vote, Ryan," Mr. Schue said. Ryan deflated inside. He knew from the look on the teacher's face that he didn't agree with the idea. And both he and Mr. Schue knew that turning it into a vote instantly meant that Ryan's idea wouldn't fly. Sure enough, the majority of the club voted against. Ryan had actually been surprised when he'd gotten two votes – Quinn's and Mike's. "Sorry, Ryan," Mr. Schue said, closing the matter.
The bell rang, and the glee club dispersed. Ryan smiled halfheartedly at Mike in thanks, receiving a sympathetic one in return. Quinn stayed beside him, before standing up once they were alone in the room. "You really think we can write our own songs for Regionals?"
Ryan sighed. "Whether I think so or not, it's a moot point. But yes."
Quinn nodded. "Okay. Then we can try to write one, and we'll show them and see if it makes the cut."
Ryan stared at her for a moment, before giving her a small smile. "Thank you." Quinn smiled at him, putting a hand on his cheek for a quick second as she left for her class. Ryan stood up more slowly, not in a hurry since he had a free period next.
He wandered over to the auditorium, the place he usually went whenever he didn't have anything to do. It had become a habit over his first two years of high school, since no one had actually wanted to hang around with him. Now he just came here whenever he wanted to be alone.
..
Shelby entered the auditorium, spotting her son leaning on the grand piano on the stage, talking to Brad the piano player. Honestly, she couldn't figure out how the man kept popping up exactly when he was needed. The band players were there too. The right instrumentalists always seemed to be present when needed and could play the required song with no apparent practice.
She was drawn out of her musings when the musicians began playing. She sat down in one of the chairs near the back, observing as Ryan began to sing Anthem from the musical Chess.
No man, no madness
Though their sad power may prevail
Can possess, conquer, my country's heart
They rise to fail
She is eternal
Long before nations' lines were drawn
When no flags flew, when no armies stood
My land was born
And you ask me why I love her
Through wars, death and despair
She is the constant, we who don't care
And you wonder will I leave her - but how?
I cross over borders but I'm still there now
How can I leave her? Where would I start?
Let man's petty nations tear themselves apart
My land's only borders lie around my heart
Shelby took a second to compose herself as he finished. This was what her performers on Vocal Adrenaline were missing. Ryan could take a song and give it emotion, feelings. It was what would get him to Broadway and his dreams. She stood up and started walking to the stage.
"Very nice," Shelby complimented him, coming up to the edge of the stage as Brad and the rest of the musicians cleared out. "How long have you been practicing that?"
Ryan shrugged. "Since I caught wind of the fact that this year's Regionals competition has anthems as a theme." He glanced at his mom as she came up to the side of the piano. "I saw you with Coach Sylvester outside the choir room."
Shelby smiled lightly. "I spotted Sue lurking outside the door, and I was curious as to how Will ran the club. I wanted to see for myself."
"And?"
"I think you're right, and that writing your own songs would give you an edge over the competition." Ryan smiled, and she held up her hand. "But," she added, "You should also realize that writing original songs isn't easy. You've got what, less than a month before Regionals? Inspiration strikes at strange moments, and writing can take a while. And then you'd have to practice it before the competition."
"I guess so," Ryan said reluctantly. "I just know we could write a kick-ass song, though. Sue's anthem was okay, but we need something unique."
Shelby nodded. "For now though, maybe just stick to known songs, huh? Like the one you just sang. Why didn't you sing that this week? It's perfect. For the theme, I mean. The very title is the same as the theme. Your vibrato could use a little work though, and you wobbled a little in the middle."
"I would have, if everybody hadn't been preoccupied with Bieber week," Ryan answered. "And I would have sung it today, I had it prepared as a backup for when everyone rejected the original song idea. Because we all know that if it turns into a vote, I'm going to lose no matter what."
"You should have sung it anyways."
"You heard Mercedes, the only reason I ever suggest anything is so that I can sing a song entirely by myself," he said almost bitterly. He sighed. "And sometimes it's just exhausting, trying to help people who don't want to be helped."
"But you stay with them because you want to be the best, and push everyone to be the best they can be as well," Shelby added. She'd had the same frustrations during her own glee club days. She had been very similar to Ryan actually.
Ryan smiled crookedly. "Genetics are amazing aren't they?" he asked knowingly.
Shelby nodded. "Yes they are," she smiled contentedly, running a hand through his hair. "You can do it though. I have every confidence that you'll get all the way to New York." She smirked. "You're not competing against me, after all."
Ryan rolled his eyes, chuckling a little at her arrogance. "There is that."
Hey everyone! How are you guys doing? I've got a couple of requests to update, so here you go. I'm glad everyone's enjoying. Thanks for all your reviews.
Hmm, not too much to say. We're getting a little up there in chapters, I'm thinking about labeling them if I have the time. We'll see about adding drama, I'll think something up. As to Ryan and Quinn 'sealing the deal', give it a couple more chapters. Hope this one tides you over until then ;) Since this is an AU, a lot of things will turn out different while we follow the things that happened in cannon. I have thought about what happens in college, but I'm still not sure if I'll be continuing past graduation. We'll see if inspiration strikes. I haven't considered what I'm going to do for Jean's funeral yet, but I probably won't change too much. I think the show handled that part pretty well.
I'm back at school, hence slower updates, but bear with me, I'm chugging along. Sorry for any errors, I'm my own beta and I'm not perfect. I probably made a few mistakes. Again, I hope you enjoyed this chapter, and I'll see you all next time.
