A/N: Hi, it's day 14! This one is a Bit different than the others, as you can see by the prompt. Y'all remember when Karofsky kissed Kurt? Yeah, so I've always been a firm believer that faberry deserved that storyline, and that it would have happened with them had they both been boys. So, here we are, with my take on boy Quinn Fabray and Ryan Berry. This was a real jump for me, so I hope it turned out well.
Day 14: Genderswapped
Ryan Berry is a lot of things: he's loud, he's opinionated, he's talented, he's a bit of a diva at times, and he's ambitious. To a fault, some might say, but he would argue that his ambition got him to where he is today, and that's not something that can be so easily ignored.
He's also openly bisexual, and, in a school like McKinley, that definitely has its downsides. It was never something he had considered trying to hide about himself, especially growing up with two moms, but it's not something he actively goes around shouting about either. However, if asked about his sexuality, Ryan answers honestly, and that is enough for the kids at school to call him names and throw him to the bottom of the social pyramid.
It certainly doesn't help that he's in Glee club, drama club, and speech and debate team, as well as starring in all of the school plays and musicals. But he doesn't care about the bullying, not anymore, at least.
Well, not a lot. He can deal with being shouldered past in the hall, slushies ordered by the popular kids, and getting called a name every now and then, but there's one person that has always seemed to get to him more than the others.
Quinn Fabray.
Easily the most popular guy in school, Quinn, for whatever reason, has had a personal vendetta against Ryan since the first week of school their freshman year. He is the captain of the school's football and soccer teams, dating the head cheerleader on and off, and he is a Grade A pain in Ryan's ass. Quinn has bullied him relentlessly for the past two and a half years, and Ryan can never seem to figure out why.
Because Quinn doesn't pick on anyone else. Ryan is one of many unfortunate people that get shoved and teased in the halls by his other tormentors, but not Quinn. With Quinn, Ryan is the only one that he picks on, that he spends all of his effort in tormenting. Once, he even overheard Quinn telling his friend that he didn't have time to worry about dating because he needed to "find new ways to torture Ryan."
What was he supposed to make of that? What did that mean?
He remembers meeting Quinn on his first day of school when they had their third period class together. Quinn had walked in the room, head held high, backpack slung over his shoulder, and Ryan had lost his breath. He distinctly remembers being immediately drawn to his gorgeous hazel eyes and chiseled jawline. Quinn had sat down in the seat next to him, telling him that he liked his shoes, and Ryan's heart had skipped a beat. His smile was mesmerizing, and Ryan had thought, from that first interaction, that he might have made a friend that day.
Oh, how wrong he and a half years later, Ryan still thinks about that interaction and wonders what had changed. What had turned Quinn from that kind guy who complimented his shoes to his single worst bully in high school?
He thinks about it, especially in these moments right before Quinn walks up to him in the hall, presumably about to start another altercation. Instead, he does something that he's never done before.
Ryan is walking in the middle of the hallway when Quinn walks up to him, slams the books in his hands to the ground, and shoves him against the lockers. His back and head slam back into the cold metal, and Ryan winces in pain. There's a bout of laughter around them, and he looks up at Quinn to see a blank expression on his face.
He's never been violent before. Quinn has spat names and insults and ordered slushies, but the closest thing to violent he's ever been was maybe shouldering past him in the hall. He has never done anything like this, and Ryan is determined to figure out what the hell has changed.
He meets Quinn's gaze, but Quinn storms away before Ryan can say anything.
"Hey!" Ryan shouts, chasing after him. He follows him down the hall into the bathroom where there's a few boys that quickly leave when they see Ryan enter after Quinn.
"What, Berry?" Quinn says, raising his eyebrow.
"What do you mean, 'what?'" Ryan counters. "You just shoved me into a locker."
He smirks. "Keen observation."
Ryan scoffs. "Well? Why?"
Quinn shrugs, seemingly unaffected. "Because I can." He says as he shoves past Ryan to walk out of the bathroom, but Ryan stops him before he can. "What the hell? Get out of my way, freak."
"No," Ryan says, not moving from where he stands in front of Quinn.
"No?" Quinn laughs. "You're really gonna say that to me?"
"Yeah, I am. You don't have a monopoly on getting your way, you know." Ryan says. His words come out strong, confident, but his hands are shaking, and he's three seconds away from breaking down. He's never stood up to him before, not like this, and it's thrilling and terrifying all at the same time.
Quinn's face takes on a hint of anger. "Oh, really? Coming from you?"
Ryan huffs, "I will admit that I can be a bit self-involved at times, but you and your holier-than-thou attitude are the epitome of hypocrisy. I would think with how religious you are that you might act differently, but I guess not."
Something akin to pain passes over his face, and, for a moment, Ryan thinks he's said something wrong. Then, in a cold voice, Quinn says, "You can't talk to me like that."
"And why not?" Ryan asks, "You're not any better than me, and I'm obviously not any better than you. We're the same, you and me."
Quinn's eyes grow wide, and he raises his voice, saying "We are not the same."
"How? What makes me so different?" Ryan asks, voice rising as his temper grows.
"Because I'm not a queer like you." Quinn spits out.
Ryan pauses, letting the word hit him. It's certainly not the worst one he's heard, but it still stings. He takes a step back and says, "Wow, real mature. That's what this is all about? Because I like boys?" Quinn looks uncomfortable when he says those words so confidently, and Ryan continues, "Because I promise you it doesn't affect you. In any way, really."
(He chooses to ignore the feelings in the pit of his stomach because now is definitely not the time to address those.)
"When I have to see you parading around school, yeah, it does." Quinn retorts, fuming.
"Parading, really? Because, as far as I'm concerned, I just walk around school like the rest of you do," Ryan explains. "Although I guess I'm not afforded that luxury as a queer, right? To exist, just like everyone else does?"
"Don't test me, Berry." He growls.
"Or what?" Ryan says.
Quinn steps towards him, his tall frame looming over Ryan's smaller one. His voice drops into a low, rough tone that sends chills down Ryan's spine as he says, "Move, or I'll move you."
Ryan looks him in the eyes, heart pounding loudly in his chest. "What? Are you gonna hit me? Because that won't change anything. I'm still gonna be here. I'm still gonna be bi. The only difference will be the bruise on my face and your hand, and then everyone will know what happened in here. You want that?"
"Get out of my way!" He shouts.
Ryan scoffs. "Make me."
Quinn moves his arms, and Ryan braces himself for the impact that never comes. Instead, there's a different kind of impact, and Ryan gasps when Quinn grabs his face and kisses him. It's nothing more than lips touching for a couple seconds, but it's enough to send a whirlwind of conflicting emotions throughout Ryan's body.
Just like that, it's over, and Quinn pulls away. Ryan stares at him in disbelief, pushing him away from himself. Quinn looks like a wreck, and Ryan's sure he doesn't look any better. His eyes are darting everywhere but at Ryan, and he runs a hand through his hair in frustration. Then, Quinn throws his fist at the bathroom wall, and Ryan gasps the impact, wincing when he sees Quinn's face contort in pain. His eyes immediately grow concerned, and he looks at Quinn, seeing the tears forming in his eyes. Ryan moves forward to help him, but Quinn steps back instantly, as if he were carrying some sort of disease.
"Don't touch me." Quinn barks out, and Ryan nods.
It's silent for a moment, the two of them processing everything that just happened, and Ryan looks down at Quinn's hand. It's turning red, his knuckles bright red and swollen, and he instantly feels bad.
"Quinn," Ryan says gently, watching him wince at the sound of his voice. "You should probably run your hand under some cold water. It'll help with the swelling."
He says nothing, but he moves to the sink and puts his hand under the faucet, sighing as the cool water washes over his swollen hand. Ryan stands there, frozen, contemplating his next move.
Lucas Quinn Fabray just kissed him. What the actual hell? Where do they go from here? And what did it mean?
Well, Ryan thinks, It's pretty obvious what it means. But I know there's no way he'll ever admit that. Not right now, at least.
He watches Quinn rub at his knuckles under the running water. He sees the tears gathering in his eyes as he tries to fight them off and fails. They slip down his cheeks, landing in the sink below him, and wash away with the light trails of blood being rinsed off of his hand. It's a rare moment, Ryan knows, to see Quinn so vulnerable like this. He knows that very few people, if ever, have seen him like this, and Ryan's gonna take advantage of it, knowing well that this could go south very quickly. Still, it's worth the shot.
Ryan clears his throat before he says softly, "Do your parents know?"
He's vague for a reason, and Quinn plays into it. "Know what?" He mutters, still letting the cool water run over his hand.
"Quinn, please." Ryan begs. "You owe me this much."
"I don't owe you sh–" He cuts himself off, releasing a heavy sigh. "No, they don't. No one does. And if you tell anyone, I swear to God, I'll—"
"Quinn, relax. I'm not gonna tell anyone," Ryan interrupts. "Besides, it's really not in either of our best interests."
The water stops running, and Ryan watches Quinn grab a paper towel and begin to wipe down his hand. He groans at the pain, and Ryan's heart aches at the sound. He pulls his backpack out to grab his first aid kit when he realizes that he had left it at home a few days ago to make room for more sheet music in his bag.
"Do you happen to have a first aid kit on you?" Ryan asks. Quinn looks at him, his face deadpan, and Ryan takes that as a 'no.' Still, he continues, "How about a bandage? A wrap, or anything?"
"There should be some in my bag from football."
With permission, Ryan opens Quinn's backpack and finds the tan bandage wrap, rolled up inside of a bag. Quinn reaches out to grab it from him, but Ryan holds it back.
"Let me, please," Ryan requests. "I'm not gonna jump you, or anything."
Quinn gives in and stretches his hand out. Ryan wraps the bandage carefully around his hand. He doesn't really know what he's doing, but Quinn seems satisfied when he finishes, so he takes that as a job well done. He's about to say something when Quinn speaks first.
"I'm sorry, Ryan." He mumbles, quietly, so quietly that Ryan has to strain to hear him. "I'm so sorry."
Tears fall down his cheeks, and Quinn brushes them away quickly. Ryan aches to reach out to him, but he knows that would only create more problems, so he resists the urge, no matter how difficult it is.
"Why?" Ryan asks instead.
"Why, what?"
"You know what."
Quinn lets out a heavy sigh. "You have no idea what my life is like. No fucking idea. There's so much pressure to be perfect, look perfect, act perfect. And I'm just terrified. All of the fucking time."
Ryan meets his eyes. "What are you so scared of?"
Quinn scoffs, looking away. "Everything. Life," He says. "You know my parents took my car away when they found out that I quit the Celibacy Club? And they grounded me for two weeks when I told them that Faith and I broke up, for good this time. You have no idea what they'd do to me, Ryan. My dad would beat my ass, worse than he already does, and I'd end up on the streets, or worse."
"I'd never let that happen." Ryan says immediately, and his cheeks flush. Thankfully, Quinn doesn't seem to notice.
"You wouldn't be able to do anything. It would just happen," Quinn explains. "And why would you say that, anyway? You hate me."
"I don't hate you, Quinn." Ryan insists. "I hate the way you act and treat me, but I don't hate you."
"Why not?"
"Because I've always known that this isn't the real you. Now, it just makes a lot more sense." He explains.
Quinn lets out a deep sigh, his shoulders dropping with all of the tension he had been carrying, and Ryan can't help but admire the outline of his muscles through his shirt for a brief moment. He's too attractive; it really isn't fair.
"You're a really handsome guy, you know." Ryan blurts out before he can stop himself. "I-I mean, I just…"
Quinn just laughs and says, "Thanks."
Ryan smiles. "Some day, down the line, there's gonna be boys falling over themselves to be with you. I'm sure of it."
Quinn just gives him a sad smile in return. "Some day, maybe."
"And, until then," Ryan says, "You have me."
Quinn nods, grabbing his backpack and slinging it over his shoulder. He's heading to leave the bathroom when he turns around and looks back at Ryan.
"I, um… Thank you," He mumbles nervously, "You know, for not telling anyone. And for being so cool. I, uh, I'm sorry, again."
"Of course, Quinn." Ryan responds. Quinn takes a step forward and raises his (non-damaged) hand out for a fist bump. Ryan laughs giddily, stretching his arm out to awkwardly bump his fist against Quinn's.
"See ya, Berry." He says before he walks out, leaving Ryan alone in the bathroom.
He exhales and grabs his backpack, looking at himself in the mirror. He raises his hand to his lips, recalling the feeling of Quinn's lips against his own. Ryan realizes, then, that that was his first kiss with a boy. And what a first kiss it was.
He leaves the bathroom, leaving that memory behind. It can stay in the bathroom. At least, for now. No one needs to know what happened in there, between them. No one needs to know how it made Ryan's heart skip a beat, or his stomach fill with butterflies, or how Quinn licked his lips after it happened.
It will just be their secret. And that's enough for Ryan.
At least, for now.