Two weeks. Two whole weeks since they'd last spoken to one another. Quinn had freaked out after they'd both realized that yes, that hadn't used protection, and locked herself in the bathroom. Ryan had stood guard outside the door, tense, unmoving as he listened to his girlfriend just...sob.
Charlie had taken up residence in his spot when eventually, Judy Fabray came home from work. What could he have said when his girlfriend's mother asked what was wrong with Quinn? So he lied; said she hadn't been feeling well and was hugging the toilet bowl for some sympathy.
He had to leave, after all, Judy kept looking at him funny when he hesitated by the door.
"Ryan, maybe you should just go? When Quinn's sick she just likes to curl up in a ball anyway."
"I uh..."
"Mother knows best, Ryan. Now go home, tell your fathers I expect them to keep their dinner date for next week."
He just nodded, took one last glance at the bathroom door and left.
Two weeks, and he had yet so see her. It's not like school could be used as an excuse to just bump into each other. It was still summer vacay, only for a few more days though, and the only way he would be able to see her is if he went over. He did, he truly did, but the thought of seeing her made him feel like he wanted to throw up.
Why hadn't he noticed sooner? In the haze of his teenage hormones why hadn't he taken a minute to step back and realize that he hadn't put a condom on? He was well known in school as an advocate for safe sex – his PowerPoint presentation on safe sex and the simple defence against STD's had gone down a storm with Principal Figgins. But how...how could one of the most intelligent guys in school – because come on, he really was - forget to put on a damn piece of rubber?
His phone blared to life with a familiar ringtone and he sighed; it wasn't the right one. I Say a Little Prayer For You was the ringtone he'd assigned for his beloved girlfriend; one that he'd recorded on his phone when she wasn't looking.
No, this was Big Ass Heart; Noah Puckerman was calling him.
"Noah, to what do I owe the pleasure?"
"Jewbro." Ryan swore he heard the melody of Mario Brother's 3 in the background, "I'm having a get together, just the Glee guys. Wanna come? Actually, no, you're coming, 'cos I just said so."
"And what will we do at this little 'get together'?"
"Duh. What guys do, bro. Sit, drink beer, play Call of Duty and talk about girls."
Ryan rolled his eyes in a perfectly executed eye roll, "Noah, I'm not really in the mood. Maybe another time?"
"...What's up?" The sound of Mario dying abruptly came to a stop and he smiled, Puck always knew when something was wrong, and he always gave his new 'Jew bro' the attention he deserved.
"I don't really think I can tell you, Noah, no offence." Oh God, he so wanted to talk to someone about it. His dad's would completely flip out; he was still skating on thin eyes thanks to the debacle with his credit card and Charlie – this would just take the biscuit, forget about skating, he'd go head first into the freezing water below.
"Hey, when I gave you the role of my Jew bro, that meant you can talk to me about anything alright? So get your skinny ass over here, I have plenty of beer."
"Noah, do I have to remind you that we're both under-age and drinking alcoholic beverages is both illegal and incredibly bad for our vocal chords? You may be able to afford damaging your voice, but I for one, can't-,"
"Berry. Just get your ass here." The line disconnected, and with a sigh, Ryan dropped his iPhone onto the bed. Life sucked, but at least he had a friend that he could talk to. Right?
He hadn't really bothered to get re-dressed to go see Puck, after all, the boy in question just tended to wear jeans and a McKinley High shirt around 90% of the time. So he arrived at the Puckerman household a little after seven pm in a pair of grey sweats and the Glee shirt that he bought on his shopping trip with Quinn.
"Bro, you made it." Puck beamed, nodding with his head to the stairs, "Party's up in my room. Ma's watching Schindler's List on repeat in the living room, so try not to make too much noise."
With a hesitant nod, Ryan entered, pulled off his shoes and left them by the door, "Are the rest of the guys here, yet?"
Puck stopped mid step, "Nah, just thought it could be me and you. Sounded like you had something to talk about, anyways."
Completely thankful, because he really didn't want to tell every male member of the Glee Club that he may or may not have knocked Quinn Fabray up, he simply smiled and followed his newly found friend up the stairs.
Surprise surprise, Call of Duty: Black Ops lit up Puck's twenty-eight inch TV, two Xbox controllers sat on the bed along with two crates of Budweiser on the floor at the foot of the bed.
"Maybe yourself comfortable and crack open a beer, Berry. You look like you're gonna faint if you don't."
Actually, alcohol sounded...good. Ryan sat on the edge of the bed, making sure not to sit on the controllers, because he didn't need Puck on his ass about his ass being on them, and pulled a beer free from the crate. Puck cracked his open with his teeth, Ryan took the more sedate route and used a bottle opener because, you know, keeping your teeth was cool.
Puck had gotten through two bottles and got annihilated on a Free For All, while Ryan cradled the same beer and watched before he opened his mouth, "Noah...Can I trust you?"
Puck smirked, "Oh yeah, totally bombed your ass with a grenade." Then he glanced at Ryan quickly before his eyes zeroed in back on the TV, "Dude, 'course you can. What's up?"
Could he really tell Noah Puckerman, the guy he'd only befriended only a few months prior? Before that Puck didn't really hide his feelings toward him; the dumpster tosses, slushies and locking him in the portable toilets was testament to that. But now he seemed to have mellowed out after he started dating Lauren; he seemed to take his commitments more seriously, and he'd yet to see him dumpster toss Jacob Ben Israel or cheat on Lauren so...
"I think I got Quinn pregnant..."
Puck's soldier was blown apart in a magnificent dead on shot by an RPG, and only then did he put down his controller, then stand, "I'll go get something stronger."
Ryan had finished his beer by the time Puck came back, brandishing a bottle of vodka and two shot glasses. "Stole it from my mom's liquor cabinet." He poured two shots, handed one to Ryan and only drank his when the singer had downed his. "So..." He sat down on the floor before his friend, leaning back against the table holding his now quiet TV, "You think you did?"
He shrugged helplessly, staring into his empty shot glass, watching as the remaining remnants of the vodka ran from one side of the glass to the other. It surprised him that it didn't burn his throat; wasn't vodka a spirit? But then again, he could hardly remember drinking it. It was like he was running on autopilot the last couple of days.
"I don't know. I mean, we didn't use a condom, so there's a high probability I did."
Puck pursed his lips, "Did you come inside her?"
"Noah! Jesus!" Ryan groaned, leaning forward to dip his head between his legs. Cheeks blushing with a fury and the urge to have another shot made him stay in that position until he heart Puck laughed, "It's not funny."
"Look, dude, it's just a question. If you did, then there's a huge chance she's probably knocked up. I'm just getting all the facts here."
Ryan sat up hesitantly, reaching for the bottle by Puck's feet. He poured himself one, and only when Puck held his glass out, poured him one too. It was gone in an instant, and the liquid courage coursed through his veins instantly. He'd never really drunk hard spirits before, maybe a cheeky glass of wine when his fathers had people around for dinner when he was younger, but damn, this was going straight to his head. Maybe he should have eaten before coming over? Damn.
"If I'm honest I'm still a little shocked you managed to bag the hottest of the hottest babes at McKinley." Puck's shoulder's shrugged slightly, "Who'da thunk that you would be the one to land Quinn Fabray?"
"Yeah tell me about it..." He sighed, "And now I've messed everything up, Noah. She hasn't called me, I've tried calling her but all I get is her voice mail. I'm honestly terrified about going around to her house just in case she breaks down or something."
"Dude, either way she's gonna break down. It's just better off you're there with her when she does." The football player stood up suddenly and collapsed down beside Ryan, picking up both controllers and handing one of them over, "I think she'd like it if you were there with her when she finds out if she is or not."
With a sigh, Ryan glanced down to the black controller, and with a shaking hand, he took it and grasped it, setting the shot glass down by his foot, "I'm scared, Noah. What if she is? I'll have to forget about New York; forget about all my plans. I'll have to stay in Lima and get some dead end job to support both Quinn and the baby."
Then a sharp pain radiated up his arm, "Ow, what the hell?" Ryan exclaimed, holding his arm, "What did you punch me for?"
"If you have to stay here and take care of Quinn and your maybe baby, then you'll do it. Don't abandon your kid." Puck turned back to the TV and unpaused the game, "I know what that feels like."
"Noah, I didn't mean-,"
"Just if she is..." Puck nodded, almost to himself, "Love that kid, even if it was a mistake. 'Cos there's nothing worse than parents that don't care about you."
"Of course," He nodded in agreement, because yeah, even if Quinn was pregnant, he would love her and their child unconditionally. New York might not be on the horizon if she was pregnant, but maybe, just maybe, in the future...he could take a shot at it again. His dreams would always be there, just like Quinn.
He woke up the next morning in a very awkward position; the TV was still on, showing the lobby of a CoD team deathmatch, an empty bottle of vodka was still clutched in his hand and a shot glass lay somewhere across the other side of the room.
Puck was nuzzling his neck, "Uh..." Okay, fuck, his head hurt. He cringed and recoiled when Puck exhaled, a mixture of morning breath, beer and vodka filled his nose and he almost lurched up to throw up but Puck's arm kept him pinned by the stomach.
"Puckerman...get off." Ryan gritted out, barely holding in the urge to vomit, "Puckerman!"
Puck launched up, then groaned, clutching his big head as he collapsed back onto his bed, "Jesus Christ, my head. Do you have to scream in my damn ear, Berry?"
"You were nuzzling me!"
Puck turned his head, eyes narrowed and blood shot, "Hell no, you cuddled up to me Sorry, dude, but the Puckasaurus only does girls."
Ryan bit his lip, then sat up, "Whatever you say, Noah." He groaned, arching his back to work out the tight kinks that he had in his shoulders, "What is your bed made out off...? Bricks? You really must buy a new mattress, after all, it'll do wonders for your posture...I've noticed you slouching in school and god forbid if your dancing is effected in Glee Clu-,"
"Dude, shut up. It's early, I'm hungover, and I want to go back to sleep."
"Ah." Ryan nodded to himself, "Sure." Hesitantly, he stood up, staying still for a few seconds to make sure that the room wasn't spinning, "I guess I should get home."
"Hell no, man. You're marching straight over to Quinn's and you're gonna sort this out."
"Shouldn't I just give her some space for a little while?"
"It's been two weeks, Berry. How much room do you expect her to want?" Puck sat up, groaning ever so slightly, "I know how chicks work; do you know how hard I had to work for Zizes to actually go out on a date with me? I know girls, dude...and girls...want attention no matter how many times they say they don't. It's ingrained on their DNA or something."
"I...don't think that's strictly true, Noah."
"Whatever," Puck replied flippantly with an eye roll "Just go over to Fabray's. Let me sleep...your voice is giving me a headache."
With a chuckle, Ryan headed to the door, but then stopped and said softly, "Thanks for last night, Noah. I needed to talk to someone."
From under the pillow that his head was currently buried under, Puck smiled.
He would have knocked on the door, even with Judy in the house; it wasn't as if they were sneaking around, but the fact that his clothes reeked of alcohol, made him rethink he plan while he stood on the porch of the Fabray household.
"Damn..." He turned and dashed straight back down the steps and to the side of the house, making sure to keep out of the way of the windows, lest Judy walk past one and see him just stood there like a moron. How was he going to get into the house? Judy wasn't working today either. "Double damn."
His first thought was to go home and shower, but his dad's would have giving him a world of pain if he'd gone back to the house smelling of beer. After all, he was underage, so either way, it was a lose lose situation.
He circled round the back of the house, ducking underneath the kitchen window as he passed through. The pool was uncovered, and it hadn't looked like anyone had swam in it recently. Usually Brittany and Santana were around (because Quinn was the only one who was blessed with a pool) and the fact that they hadn't been around, made him worry.
They were always around.
He looked up at the house, catching sight of Quinn's windows and he was totally thinking of climbing up the side of the house; which he could do, because the roof over the kitchen window could easily be leapt on top of with the help of a nearby recycling bin (because come on, he wasn't that tall) and from there, he could just reach the bottom rip of Quinn's window.
But the window was shut...
"Dammit."
He fished out his phone from his sweats, flicked through his contacts, which consisted of the Glee Club, his fathers, Mr. Schue, Judy Fabray and finally Quinn, with a heart at the end of it that Quinn insisted upon. Ryan insisted on a star at the end of his name, and he checks it whenever he's in the vicinity of her phone, because, you know, stars are a metaphor, and metaphor's are important.
It rang for an insanely long time, and in that time, he'd crouched walked past the kitchen window at least sixteen times, and on the seventeenth, Quinn finally picked up. He stood up so fast he hit his head on the sill of the kitchen window, then crouched back down and held his head, "Quinn. Don't hang up. Look you don't have to say anything, but I know I did the wrong thing by avoiding you for this long. It was stupid, and it was pathetic. I was just...so terrified and I couldn't bring myself to actually think or talk about it. I understand that you're probably upset with me, even angry for avoiding you for so long, but please...I need to be with you right now; we need to talk about what's happening. I need to be by your side. So please...open your window and let me in."
The line disconnected, and with a sigh, Ryan shoved his phone back into his pocket. He turned to leave, but the tell-tale signs of his girlfriend's bedroom window opening made his eyes snap up. There was a small gap, just enough for him to push it open as he hoisted himself up.
He just prayed his morning exercise routine gave him enough strength to actually haul is ass through the window.
A sore forehead and aching arms later, he landed safely through the window and into Quinn's bedroom. The girl was sat on the bed, hair in a sloppy bun, wearing only a pair of red McKinley shorts and a white tank top. Charlie sat snuggled on her lap, only opening one lazy eye to look at Ryan, content not to move from her lap.
"Hey," Ryan mumbled breathlessly, making sure to keep his voice down.
"Hi..." Quinn pulled her eyes up from her Labrador retriever and searched Ryan with her eyes, "Why couldn't you have rung the doorbell like the sensible human being I know you are?" She was teasing, and Ryan had the grace to blush.
"I uhm...spent the night at Noah's and I had a few drinks, I didn't really want to come over and have your mom smell beer on me."
Quinn frowned, "Since when are you and Puck best friends? And why were you drinking? You told me it had 'adverse' effects to your vocal chords."
"I just...needed to relax I guess. Noah offered, so I took it."
Quinn instantly bristled and Ryan knew that she'd clocked on, "You told him?" She sneered, Charlie's ears immediately pricking up as she tensed, "You told him that I might be..." She drifted off, biting down on the corner of her bottom lip.
"I just...I know I can trust him. I know I can; he offered good advice actually. He told me to come here, that I was being an idiot for ignoring you."
"Oh, well if you're taking advice from Noah Puckerman, you truly must be at a dead end."
"Quinn please," Ryan pleaded, stepping closer to the bed, but stopped when Quinn's eyes narrowed dangerously, "It was killing me not talking about it."
"So you went straight to McKinley's resident stud instead of your girlfriend who has been completely freaking out for the past two weeks?"
He glanced down to his feet, one foot toeing the soft carpet, "I know I should have talked to you...but I freaked out; I thought you'd want space so I gave you it."
"You thought? Ryan, I needed you here. I needed you to comfort me. I needed to walk out of that bathroom and straight into your arms but you were gone!."
"Your mom was asking questions; I told her you were sick and she told me to leave. I couldn't exactly put my foot down to your own mother."
"So what stopped you from coming back the day after?" She leaned back against the bed, shaking her head when words seemed to fail her boyfriend, "Not one call, or a text message. I was freaking out and you completely abandoned me! Two weeks, Ryan. That's disgusting!"
"I came back, didn't I?"
"Oh please, you're not back." Quinn inhaled a shaking breath, looking down to the dog in her lap for some sort of support, "I can tell with you Ryan. You've already looked back over the hills, and now you have one foot over it. So why don't you just save me the hassle and just run?"
"Baby..." He stepped forward again, hoping to reach out to her, but he flinched back, and his heart cracked when even Charlie looked at him, fully alert, teeth bared and growling, "C-Charlie."
"I was going to take the test. Right before you called me. I can do that by myself, I can figure out what I'm going to do by myself, and if I am, and I decide to keep it, I'll do that by myself too."
"I want to be there."
"Just run, Ryan. We both know it's what you want to do."
He went home, not really caring if he smelt of alcohol; his parents were more worried about the fact his eyes were bright red, cheeks puffy, and chest heaving as he fought for breath. Hiram and Leroy glanced at one another, then to their son, before Leroy took him in his strong arms and held him to his chest.
Hiram stood close by, just close enough for his son to know he was there as his husband held him. Ryan let the tears flow; not really caring that he was messing up his dad's shirt, or the fact that he was a guy and literally sobbing so hard that he couldn't breathe. He'd lost everything. Everything he held dear to him was gone and he had no idea how to get it back.
Eventually, hours later, when there were no more tears to be shed, he calmed down, and sat in between his two dad's on the living room couch. They said nothing, waiting for Ryan to be ready to talk, but their son just stared blankly at the TV, not really watching it, but acknowledging it.
"Quinn and I." Ryan cleared his throat, scratchy from misuse, "I think we just broke up."
"Why?" Hiram asked, just before his husband. They both watched as Ryan's mouth opened, closed, opened, and then watched as his chin trembled and fresh tears ran down his cheeks. Hiram held him this time, Leroy just sat there, silently cursing Quinn Fabray.
Leroy was the one that carried him to bed. Ryan had collapsed on the couch, just out of pure exhaustion. They didn't mention the fact that he smelt like booze, and honestly, they knew it was probably from getting dumped and then just drinking with friends. Noah Puckerman was usually the scamp that got his hands on alcohol, but they let it slide.
"What are we going to do...?" Hiram asked, watching Leroy pull the covers over his son's body.
"We do nothing." Leroy shook his head, "She broke our son's heart."
"There has to be a reason, Lee. You can't just assume that this is her fault."
"So you'd rather take her side than your own son's?" The taller man asked, crossing his arms over his chest, "I've never seen him in this state before."
"They loved each other; we both know that. They're inseparable. Something happened...I know it did."
"Then you take Quinn's side, but I refuse to believe he did anything to warrant it."
"I'm not choosing sides, Leroy. I'm just saying that there's always two sides to the story. We'll get it out of Ryan eventually, until then, we should just let him rest."
"Fine." Leroy uncrossed his arms and shifted past his husband, "So help me God if I see that girl..."
Hiram sighed heavily, watching the retreating back of his husband before turning his attention back to his only son. He watched as Ryan's chest rose and fell soothingly, face content and calm; he looked so innocent, just like the little boy he remembered.
"What happened, Ryan...?"
There were two messages on his phone. One was from Puck, asking him what had gone down, and asked him if he wanted him to call around for support. He politely declined, via text; he really wasn't in the mood to hold a conversation right now.
The second, was from Quinn. It was 10:16am, and the message had been sent at 5:52am. He'd been staring at the unopened message for that long. His thumb hovered so closely over the open button, but the thought of reading anything Quinn had to say just made him want to burrow into his bed and never see the light of day again.
She had been so hurtful. She assumed he was already one foot over the hill, ready to run into the distance, but he wasn't. He was just like any other teenager; he was completely and totally freaked out at the possibility of being a father. Wouldn't anyone that young? He had plans, he had dreams; the birth of a son or daughter was not in those plans. Not until his career had set off and he had enough money to support both Quinn and the child.
But not this. He barely had enough money as it was, and he was only just coasting through in his lessons to try and get that allusive scholarship to Julliard. God, Julliard; he hadn't even picked the song he was going to sing for his audition yet. Would he even go to Julliard if Quinn was pregnant? Would he stay in Lima? Would she insist they both go to New York?
He growled and let the phone drop to the mattress, landing with a dull thump.
She was probably texting him to tell her that they were definitely over and to pick up some of the clothes he'd left at her house, as well as the ring he'd bought her. Oh God, the ring, she still had it. It was still on her finger when he'd seen her the day before; that was a good sign, right? But then again, she had a lot on her mind, she most probably forgot it was even there.
With a sigh, his hand groped for his phone. Hesitantly, he unlocked it with a swipe of his thumb and opened the message.
He left the phone on the bed, climbed into some fresh clothes and left the house.
Ryan Berry stormed up the porch steps, taking two at a time before he pounded loudly on the door with a clenched fist. He kept going, just pounding and pounding, hand ringing with a sharp heat before the door was finally ripped open.
"We need to talk."
Noah Puckerman shot an eyebrow up, then stepped away from the door, "I could seriously kill you right now. My mom thought you were the fucking tax man or something."
"Oh..." Quickly, Ryan glanced into the living room and smiled sheepishly, "I sincerely apologize, Mrs. Puckerman..."
"Hm..." The older woman grumbled, turning her attention back to the magazine in her hands. She did have eight down to finish after all.
"Upstairs?"
"That would be for the best," Ryan replied, strangely calmer as he followed Puck up to his room. The footballers laptop was open on the bed, a rather erotic site open on one of the tags, the other, Facebook.
"So what's up, my little Jew Bro?" Puck collapsed against the pillows and crossed his ankles, "You talk to Quinn?"
Ryan nodded, "Yeah...yeah I did, she uh...she broke it off with me."
"What?" Puck's body shot forward, hands on his knees, "You fucking serious? She just ended it? What the hell did you do?"
"I didn't do anything!" Ryan exploded, "I went there and I apologized for being a complete ass and she still dumped me! I told her I wanted to be there for her; that because she's pregnant I would support-,"
"Hold. Up." Realization dawned on Puck, eyes growing wider, "'Because she's pregnant'? As in...she's pregnant?"
Ryan's throat bobbed as he swallowed, "She text me this morning. Apparently the five pregnancy tests she bought have all come out positive." Then he looked down to his feet, feeling the rush of moisture to his eyes, "She just wrote. 'I'm pregnant. All five were positive. I'll deal with it.' Nothing else."
"She's in shock, dude. Just like you." Puck swung his legs over the side of the bed and rested his elbows down on them, "You need to be there for her, even if she says she'll deal with it by herself."
"She won't let me into the house, let alone see her."
Puck smirked, "She has to see you at school, though. Right?"
"...Yeah." Ryan replied with an eager whisper.
"Don't run away, dude. Show her you want to stand by her. Your kid is growing inside her; that's a huge thing."
Then it just hit him like a freight train, "I'm gonna be a dad. I'm...I'm going to be a father."
Puck nodded, almost sadly, "If she decides to keep it."
The pang in Ryan's chest was hard to deny.
Two days later they were back at school. The first day as a Senior, which should have been making him buzz with excitement, make him want to run up and down the hallways like a ball of energy, was anything but.
He was slouched over himself, bag almost digging painfully into his shoulder as he walked through the sea of students that flooded the halls. New Freshman wandered around aimlessly, trying desperately to find their lockers, others to find Home room; like a gentleman, Ryan would have stopped and pointed them in the right direction, after all, he was in a large collection of after school clubs and getting himself out there to the new student body was excellent practice for when he want to New-.
Anyway.
He stopped at his locker, opening it with the combination that was ingrained into his memory, before opening it and throwing the books he wouldn't need until after lunch inside. Seriously, did the books get twice as heavy for Senior year or something?
"Yo dude." Puck stopped beside him, wearing his usual Letterman jacket, "You seen Q, yet?"
"I saw her car parked outside...but no, I haven't seen her." Ryan slammed his locker door shut and leaned against it, "Have you?"
"Nah." Puck shrugged, "Look dude, I'm there for you if you need to talk. It must be pretty fucking hard."
"Yeah...thanks, Noah."
"It's what bro's are for, right?" He held out his fist, ready to be bumped. Ryan loved teasing him and never fist bumping him back; often quoting that it was childish, but the way Puck looked at him, with a look that said 'you're gonna be okay' he clenched his fist and bumped his best friend's fist.
Just after second period, AP Math, he found Quinn, along with Santana and Brittany, the unholy trinity, in their cheerleading uniforms. Internally, he bristled; Quinn was pregnant with his child and he saw the routines Coach Sylvester had them perform. That just wouldn't do at all.
"Whoa whoa whoa, planet Argyle. You best just turn around right now or I'm totes gonna go all Lima Heights on your ass."
Ryan rolled his eyes as Santana planted herself firmly before him, hands on hips, lips pursed, eyes burning with an intensity that could set him alight.
"I need to speak with Quinn."
Quinn barely acknowledged him; she was still looking down at her chemistry book. Brittany poked her from time to time, almost as if she was saying 'you do know he's right there, right?'
"I don't think you understand, Berry. She doesn't want anything to do with you anymore. She dumped your sorry ass; she realizes what a colossal mistake she made by getting with a dweeb like you. Now shoo, before I make you shoo."
Ryan glanced over Santana's shoulder, catching Quinn's gaze as she mercifully glanced at him from the corner of her eye. "I'd really like to talk. You...know where to find me." What else could he say? He turned and walked away, just before the warning bell for his next class.
She found him. He was in the choir room; not like he had any reason to go to the cafeteria anymore now that he didn't have the option of sitting with her anymore. She had kept glancing over at Puck's table, and she saw him text a few times, but there was no Ryan.
She knew that Puck knew. The sly glances; looks laced with sympathy, others with annoyance because she had completely dumped the father of her child out on his ass. She had got up to leave, barely even touching her food, even the smell made her feel sick, when she was stopped the doors by Puck.
"We need to speak."
"And what would I have to say to you, Puck?" Quinn asked, bitchy attitude locking into place, "Are you here to defend my ex-boyfriend?"
"I'm here to tell you exactly what I feel about the situation."
Now she was in choir room; after Puck had his little 'talk' she'd gone in search for Ryan. Surprise surprise, he was sat at the piano, thumbing through some sheet music. His movements were almost robotic, his eyes weren't entirely focused, and from time to time, he'd just stop, deepen his frown and continue on.
"You said you wanted to talk earlier on," Ryan's head shot up, "So go ahead. Talk." Quinn's arms instinctively went to her chest.
"They were all positive?"
She nodded.
"What are you going to do...?"
"I don't know; do you really think I can come to a decision in two days?"
Ryan sighed gently and shook his head, "No...of course not. It was a stupid question." He placed the sheet music on the piano and straddled the bench, one leg on each side, "I don't know what you think right now, but I want to be there for you...for the...baby."
"Do you mind not saying that in school? My God..." Quinn whispered, glancing behind her. The choir room door was shut, but it did nothing to make her feel comfortable. She felt as if someone was listening in; that even if she was alone they could hear her thoughts about the baby. For the past two days it had been the same thing; would she keep it? Wouldn't she? It had been a vicious circle, and when she thought she'd settled on one idea, a pro for the other option would rear it's head and she was back at square one.
"Sorry, it's just...I've never had to deal with this before."
"I told you, I'll handle it myself."
"I don't want you to." Ryan stood from the bench, but keeping his distance from Quinn, just in case she bolted; his girlfriend had a tendency to run when things became too intense, "I want to be there. I want to be by your side, Quinn. I don't want to be some dead beat dad that doesn't support his child."
She shushed him through a hiss and covered his face with both hands. Oh God, she felt sick.
"He adores you. You know that, right?"
"So much that he all but abandoned me for two weeks? Yeah, that adoration right there, Puck."
"Look, I'm not saying this because he's my number one Jew Bro-,"
"He's your only Jew Bro."
"Yeah whatever, but I'm not saying this because he's my friend, I'm saying this as a guy who didn't have his dad around."
Quinn bit the corner of her lip and waited.
"My dad was a loser, a Lima loser and he couldn't really give a toss about me or my mom. He just upped and left when he found out she was pregnant with me; she went through it all alone, and yeah, she managed...but it's like my mom has no life left in her now. I have...so much hatred for my dad it's unreal. If I saw him in the street I'd totally smash his face in. But you have something good here, Q. You have a guy that's willing to stand by you; no matter what decision you make. He's willing to stand there and let you make the choice, and he'll hold your hand as you do it."
"What's your point?"
"Don't throw away a guy that's one in a million, Q. If it was me or Finn or Sam...or whoever; we'd have run for our lives. Berry is willing to stand by you. Don't push him away."
"I know...I know that, Ryan."
"Then let me." He stepped forward, and luckily, managed to stand before her without getting a crack across the cheek, "Let me stand by you while you do this."
"This has ruined everything."
"What...?"
"My plans, your plans. I was going to go to college, you were going to go to Julliard. We barely have enough money to afford getting there, how are we suppose to raise a child?"
"So...you...want to keep it?"
"I don't know, Ryan!" She sighed and ran a hand over her flat stomach, "It's against my religion to even think about getting an abortion...but I'm not even eighteen yet; I'm still a kid, how am I expected to raise one? I'll just be another faceless statistic, destined to live a life in Lima, Ohio as a stupid estate agent, secretly loathing my life because I never got to live it. I just..." She broke out into a sob, "I can't..."
"Then...I'll stand by you, at the doctor's office..."
"Didn't you hear a word I just said? I can't destroy a life, Ryan, that's against everything I believe in. It deserves a chance at life, just like everyone else."
He swallowed, suddenly feeling sick, "Then...give it up for adoption once the baby is born."
Quinn's shining hazel eyes snapped to his, "What...?"
"You don't want to...do that...and you're not really at the point in your life where you can raise a child, regardless if I'm there or not. So...give it the life it deserves, with parents that will love it unconditionally."
Quinn's eyes skimmed down to her stomach, hand instinctively rubbing gentle circles over the top of her uniform, "But the doctor's bills...and my mom..."
"I'll deal with the bills. I guess...we'll sit down together and tell our parents?"
Quinn's eyes hardened, "Why are you suddenly assuming your back in the picture, Ryan?"
"That's my baby too, Quinn!" He tore out, eyes blazing, "Don't act like you're the victim; that you're the only one involved. I'm involved too; I helped create that child, and I love that child and you, regardless of what you think."
The bell shrilled throughout the room and Quinn shut her eyes in reflex, "I need to go."
Ryan collapsed back onto the bench, head in his hands. Quinn just left.
Hiram Berry opened the door to Noah Puckerman, who carried a backpack on his shoulder, "Hey, Mr. B."
"Noah." He allowed the boy in, eyes glancing to the bag as he passed, "Do I need to ask what's in the bag?"
Puck just shrugged his shoulders, "You're welcome to take it off of me. I just thought a few would help him loosen up."
"You're going to turn my son into a boozy alcoholic, dependent on alcohol to get through the day."
"I wouldn't let him drink that much, Mr. B. Trust me on that." Hiram looked far from convinced, "I'll just let him have two...you can take the rest off of me. Save it for you and the other Mr. B."
"We don't drink beer, but thank you." He took Puck's backpack, unzipped it and left four bottles of beer, "Go cheer my son up, please."
Puck nodded, halfway up the stairs before Hiram called him, "Do you know what's happened between him and Quinn?"
His broad shoulders shrugged, "It's not up to me to say, Mr. B. I think Ryan should be the one to tell you, eventually."
When Puck walked in, Ryan was lying on his bed, iPhone poised over his face, just staring at the blank screen. "Expecting her to call?" He asked, shutting the door behind him. Ryan just nodded, and with a heavy sigh, he threw one of the beer bottles to his dejected friend, "Drink up, dude."
Puck smirked when Ryan cracked it open with his teeth, "That's my boy."
Ryan's head snapped to Puck's, mouth around the lip of the bottle, eyes wide.
"I...I didn't mean...shit, sorry dude..."
The singer gulped down a large mouthful of beer and shrugged, "It's fine...just a slip of the tongue."
They both fell into silence, just drinking, and Puck watched how fast Ryan seemed to down the first bottle. He was half tempted to give his only other bottle to his friend; but getting him drunk wasn't really the way to go.
"So..." Puck mumbled around a mouthful of Bud before swallowing, "Did you two manage to talk?"
Ryan chuckled coldly, "She still doesn't know what she wants to do. She doesn't want to get rid of it, because...you know, of her beliefs and everything. So I told her she could put it up for adoption; she seemed interested...but then she started talking about doctor's bills and our parents. I said I'd deal with the bills and we'd deal with our parents together."
"And...?" Puck leaned forward, "What did she say?"
"She just started shouting and saying I was putting myself back into the picture. The bell went for class and then she just...left. I tried speaking to her again when she was heading to Cheerio's practice, but Santana just deflected me."
"So you can't get close to her with Santana there?"
Ryan nodded, "Pretty much. Quinn is more adamant to ignore me when she has back up. I need to get her by herself; somewhere where she can't run away."
Puck fell silent, just sipping from his beer. Ryan could see the wheels turning in his friend's head, and truly, it worried him; Puck's ideas weren't usually the smartest. He remembered Sophmore year when the footballer had the amazing idea to slash the tires on every car that belonged to Vocal Adrenaline; mostly to get back at Jesse St. James who had tried to tear apart the club with his animosity between him and Ryan. It felt good to get revenge, but the money he had to spend paying back for the damage, almost bankrupt him. Since when did sixteen year olds need such expensive cars anyway?
"I have a plan," He exclaimed with a cocky grin, "Just leave it to me. Trust me."
"Why do I have a horrible feeling about this...?" Ryan asked softly, "You're not going to get yourself suspended are you? Or me for that matter...?"
Puck shook his head and with a smirk, he clapped his heavy hand on Ryan's shoulder, "Just trust me, dude."
The next day, step one of Puck's plan came into fruition. Ryan had been on red alert all day, just preparing himself some ungodly to happen, but it never came. So when he sat down in the choir room, having to take the seat furthest away from Quinn, (mostly because Santana quoted something about her hair and razor blades) Mr. Schue piped up, hands clapping together to gain the attention of the club members.
"Alright guys, so I hope you guys had an awesome summer and took the time to relax; but now we knuckle down. We have Sectionals, Regionals and definitely Nationals to worry about. But just to get back into the swing of things, Puck actually suggested a duet performance that we could possibly use for future competitions."
Ryan's eyes slowly slid to Puck, who was leaning back in his seat, grin etched onto his face.
"Together we picked partners; wholly on chemistry together. You guys are amazing, but I've noticed then when certain pairs sing together, it's explosive. That is just what we need for this club to succeed and take Nationals by storm!"
He picked up a piece of paper from behind him on the piano and adjusted his weird patterned waistcoat before calling out the names one by one.
"Santana and Brittany. Puck and Lauren. Ryan and Quinn. Tina and Artie. Mercedes and Kurt. And uhm...Sam and Mike. So get together guys and think of a brilliant duet. You have one week to settle on an idea, rehearse and perform!"
Santana stared at Quinn, and when, and only when, Quinn nodded, she finally moved one seat back to Brittany. Quinn glanced at Ryan, who was looking at her with hope shining in his eyes; a little bit of her heart broke as a tiny, almost broken smile broke out on his face. Before she even realized what she was doing, moved and sat down beside him.
"Hello Quinn," Ryan smiled shyly, "So...duet ideas, huh?"
"What's your angle?" She asked, head snapping to him, "Did you plan this so we could talk?"
"I-I planned nothing," He hesitated, eyes quickly shooting to Puck who gave him a thumbs up before looking back to Quinn, "Mr. Schue was right about one thing, we do have great chemistry when we sing together, Quinn. Our voices flow together incredibly well, and we have natural chemistry because..." Then he stopped and shrugged his shoulders, "You know."
"Hm," Quinn crossed her legs daintily and looked down to her nails, "Ideas then? You're usually full of them."
They spent the rest of the hour just bouncing idea off one another; Ryan thought he had particularly brilliant musical tastes, especially when he all but begged for Quinn to agree with him on his choice of For Good from Wicked. Her argument was that Wicked was so overdone, and that they should do something a little less mainstream. He hated to agree, but it was true. He'd sung Defying Gravity with Kurt two years ago; he didn't really want to seem like a one trick pony.
"Maybe...we should take this to my house?" Ryan offered gently as Quinn reached for her bag, "I mean...the time that the club offers is hardly enough time to come to a decision and rehearse until it's perfect." Quinn faced him, eyebrow poised, "And you know what I'm like when it comes to my performances being perfect."
"I think we should keep it in school," She pulled her gym bag up, resting it on her shoulder, "After school or something. Not your house."
"But, uhm...well okay," He butted in, blatantly panicking, "Maybe we should go to your house? That's in your comfort zone, right?"
"Ryan." Blonde hair swung from side to side as she shook her head, "Don't make this anymore difficult then it has to be. I have Cheerio's after school today. Tomorrow, we'll work on our duet in the auditorium. Okay?"
With a heavy sigh, he nodded, "Sure."
His eyes looked so hollow; and she could tell he wasn't getting his usual eight hours of sleep that he usually insisted upon. But then again, neither had she. The thought of doctor's bills, the impending doom of her mother finding out, then everyone at school when she finally walked through the doors looking like a blimp, then getting thrown off the Cheerio's when Coach Sylvester realized that she couldn't really have a pregnant teen on top of her National winning pyramid, then giving birth...and...giving it up.
Thoughts plagued her day and night, and no matter how hard she tried she couldn't run away from them. They tormented her, taunted her, and whenever she saw Ryan, smiling, trying to make her feel comfortable, trying to get involved; her mind just shot straight back to when it all happened. She should have said no, she should have stopped and realized he wasn't wearing a condom.
She'd done this to herself; she'd ruined her own future. She didn't deserve the love of her child, or Ryan's for that matter. So she'd deal with it herself, no matter how hard Ryan tried to get her to run back into his arms. Her future might be ruined, but that didn't mean his had to be too.
"So, how did part one of my plan go?" Puck asked, catching up to Ryan as he power walked to his car.
"Part one? There's another part?" He replied flippantly, all but ripping his car keys free from his jeans pocket.
"Whoa, dude. Seriously, what's wrong? You spent the whole hour talking to Quinn. I think I need a little respect that I managed to pull that off!"
With a heavy sigh, Ryan nodded his head in defeat, "Yeah. I'm sorry...I'm just...stressed. I asked her if she wanted to work on the duet at her house, or mine...but she said she'd rather work on it at school. She refuses to let me see her out of school, like I'm going to jump her bones as soon as I see a bed or something."
Puck shrugged his shoulders, "She's just trying to protect herself, Berry. Everyone does it. She wants to be on familiar ground; she's Queen Bee here, she has a lot of control when it comes to being in that building."
"When the hell did you get so smart?"
Puck flexed his muscles teasingly, "I've always been this smart, bro. Just 'cos I get knocked in the head every game and think about sex all day doesn't mean I ain't got smarts."
With a chuckle, Ryan nodded, "Sure thing Puck, whatever you say." He turned to unlock his car, but he stopped as his key slid into the lock, "Wait. What's part two?"
Puck was already walking away, "You'll see!"
A day later, lunch time, is when part two of Puck's Fantastic Orgasmic Plan (his name for the plan, not Ryan's) came to light. It shocked him how literal the name for the plan was.
Puck had all but sped past him after English; which wasn't a surprise. On Wednesday's, Puck tended to want to get to the Cafeteria first so he was first in line for the epic hotdogs that were only available on that day, but this time, he swirled on his feet and beamed. "I'll text you, then you make your move."
Then he was gone, and Ryan stood there, eyes wide, hands clutching the strap of his satchel bag, "Wait...what?"
His best friend came to a stop in front of the unholy trinity, who were circled around Brittany's locker, "Ladies." He leered, bracing his forearm on the next locker.
"What do you want, Puckerman?" Quinn glanced at him.
"Nothin' to do with you, Q. Just the babes that are currently stood beside you." Both Santana and Brittany looked at him, "I was just wonderin'...cos y'know...you two are hooking up and stuff if you want to add some manliness into the equation?"
"But we don't need a guy, San has a toy for that."
Quinn giggled, Santana just blushed, "Babe...just..." With a sigh, she turned back to Puck, "You want to have a threesome, that's what you're saying?" At Puck's nod and leer, she continued, "While I can't deny that me and Britt's are the hottest bitches in this school, I'm gonna have to flat out decline."
Puck shook his head, "Santana...babe. You know you're interested."
"But what about your girlfriend, Puck?"
He just shrugged, "What she doesn't know won't hurt her."
Both Santana and Brittany glanced at one another, then back to Puck, "You best just not cock block me when I wants to get my mack on with Britt. And when we tell you to leave, you leave."
He held his hands up, "That's a'okay with me, babe."
Brittany leaned forward, perching her chin on Santana's shoulder, "It'll be fun, San."
"So how about we take this party to my truck for a celebratory make out sesh?"
Santana nodded, glancing back at Quinn who just rolled her eyes in reply. Brittany clapped excitedly as her on and off again girlfriend took her hand and all but dragged her down the hall, Puck following with a leer.
I'm willing to fuck up my own relationship to get yours back together. Don't let me down.
Ryan smiled down at his phone, "Thanks, Puck..."
He watched as Quinn shut her locker door, smooth down her Cheerio top and walk down the hall. She looked like she was going toward the Cafeteria, but when she took a turn towards the choir room, Ryan was hot on her trail.
Quinn was stood in the middle of the room, looking around, almost as if she was looking for someone. When she heard the door click quietly behind her, she sighed, but didn't turn around to face him.
"I asked yesterday if you had a plan. You told me you didn't."
"I didn't."
"Oh, but Puck did and you went along with it?" Quinn turned sharply, hands planted firmly on her hips, "Are you going to recruit him for everything you do now, Ryan? Can't you just understand that no matter what you do you won't change my mind on this?"
"I don't care what you have to say, Quinn." The blonde's eyes went wide, "You've had your say and now it's about time I had mine. I don't care what you've decided upon, only that I want to be there when you do it. I'm the father to your baby, and no matter what happens, I always will be. I don't want to be anywhere else except right by your side and hold your hand while we go through this, together. I'm scared, my God, I'm terrified, but I'm not going to run away when I know you need me the most.
"I love you so much, and I always will, even if you don't feel the same anymore. Just let me be there while you do this, and then, if you decide you still don't want to be with me after it, then I'll accept that. Just please don't shut me out. I'm involved in this too, Quinn."
Quinn bit down hard on her bottom lip, just skimming the line of pain where she knew she'd make it bleed if she bit down any harder. Why the hell did her boy- ex-boyfriend, have to be so damn chivalrous?
"You have plans for your future, Ryan. I'm a few months I'm going to be moody and disgusting to be around. I'm going to be waking you up at two am in the morning for ice cream or pickles-,"
"I'll do it."
"-and then I'll be screaming in your face because of the baby hormones-,"
"I'll deal with it."
"-and you'll hate me because I'm adamant that no matter what you say I'm going to give the baby up for adoption-,"
"I'll hold your hand."
"-and...I won't be able to look you in the face anymore, because whenever I do, I'll just see our baby's eyes and I'll just break down-,"
"I'll still love you."
"-and...I'm just terrified you'll hate me because I got rid of something so precious to you, and that I'm being selfish because I know I'm not ready to take care of a baby."
"I could never hate you." Ryan replied, fiercely as he stepped forward into her personal space, "I love you, and I always will. If that's what you want, if you want to give the baby up for adoption, I'll stand by you while you do that, and I'll stand by you the days, weeks, months, years after that too. No matter what you say, I'll be there. You're going to come to New York with me, and we'll go to college, and start our new life together, and then in the future, we'll get married and start our family when we are ready."
"Please don't..." She whispered, pulling away, but struggling when Ryan's arms came to loop around her waist, "You'll hate me. Maybe not now, but eventually it'll happen. You'll start to despise me and then one day you'll just disappear."
"I would never do that to you!"
"Get real, Ryan!" She choked out through a sob, "Can you honestly stand here, and tell me, right now, that you don't hold some resentment for making this decision by myself? That I didn't even think if you wanted to keep the baby or not?"
"I-," His mouth flapped restlessly, "Quinn..."
"See." Quinn chuckled sadly, "You can't even deny it." Ryan went to pull her back in again, but she just shoved him back, two powerful hands clashing against his shoulders, "Just leave me alone, Ryan. Stop it, now."
And she left in a haze of tears and broken sobs.
"Dad...pa..."
Hiram and Leroy broke off from their conversation to look at their son, who was slowly sliding his fork through a massacred piece of vegetable lasagne, "Yes son?" Leroy asked, wiping his mouth with a napkin.
"I need to tell you something." He finally looked up to his parents, watching their expectant faces as they finally learnt what was bothering their son. He'd been so quiet recently, and they hadn't even heard him sing up in his bedroom for a few weeks now. It was actually kind of terrifying. So they stayed quiet, and waited for their only son to talk.
"I uhm...well...it was an accident..."
Realization dawned on both parents, and Leroy leaned back in his seat, scowl set firmly in place.
"Ryan..." Hiram waited until Ryan looked to him, "Is Quinn pregnant...?"
The look of disappointment on his other father's face made him crumble. His fork clattered to the plate, and in his haste to stand and run, his chair flew back and hit the wall behind him.
"I'm so sorry."
He ran, because after all, what else could he do?
He stayed at Puck's for a week and a half until Hiram Berry rang the Puckerman's household and all but demanded that he return home. He'd been hesitant, and Puck told him that he didn't have to go if he really didn't want to; but he'd done a lot of thinking while staying at Puck's.
He kept out of Quinn's way, even for their duet for Glee Club. Mr. Schue had been annoyed that they hadn't even bothered to work on one, but didn't comment on it further when he caught Puck shaking his head. Quinn all but refused to acknowledge him, and he didn't go out of his way to talk to her. He had to do something for her; and if that meant respecting her wishes, then so be it.
But he ran away, and that's what annoyed him the most. He'd been strong enough to tell his parents, well, they guessed but he still told them, and he ran away, but like Quinn said he would. The look on his dad's face when his pa asked if Quinn was pregnant was something that plagued his thoughts as he lay down on Puck's hard bedroom floor every night.
The sheer look of disappointment, then his pa's face, eyes shining with what looked like empathy. Then Quinn, sobbing her heart out in the choir room, all but telling him that he'd despise her eventually, that he'd hate her and want to run away from his life with her.
"She thinks you're gonna run, so she's dealt with the problem before it hurts twice as much."
"I'm not going to run though. I half expected her to cling to me for support or something, but she's just pushing me away."
"Quinn's hard to read, Finn told me more than enough times when they dated; she's probably just conflicted at the moment. She doesn't know what to feel. Just give it time to settle down."
"I don't think I can wait."
"You have to."
So when his dad came to the door and all but ordered him home, he followed obediently. Leroy was at work when they got home, and Ryan realized that it was his dad's one of two days off, which he was grateful for. It was hard enough dealing with the dad that seemed fine with it, unlike the one that oozed disappointment out of every pore.
"We should talk." Hiram told his son matter-of-factly before sitting down at the dining table, watching as Ryan plopped himself down in the seat opposite, "So...Quinn is pregnant?"
Ryan nodded.
"And it's yours?"
He cringed, "Of course it is, pa. Quinn isn't the sort of person to do that, especially not to me."
"Then why are you falling apart at the seams? Where is she? Why haven't I seen her in almost four weeks?"
The singer sighed, "She wants nothing to do with me anymore."
He told his dad the whole story, from start to finish. In the end, Hiram had a steaming mug of coffee in his hand and Ryan was glugging down a glass of water.
"Does Judy know?"
Ryan choked on his water, "Has she been around asking for blood?"
"No..."
"Then does not, in fact, know."
Hiram sighed, "Your my son, I'll support you, although I'm incredibly disappointed in you. I thought you knew better than to not use protection, but what are you going to do?"
"What can I do?" He asked, placing his glass of water back on the table, "She's made it adamant that she doesn't want me involved."
"I hope you know, that when people push you away, it means the opposite. Girls like Quinn, they want someone to be involved. She doesn't know it, but subconsciously, she's testing you and herself."
"So what do I do? Every time I talk to her it involved her either crying and or storming out of the room."
"Hm..." Hiram rubbed the stubble on his chin, deep in thought, before suddenly rushing to the living room and returning with the home phone, "Just be quiet."
He punched in a number and waited, "Ah, Judy dear, it's Aaron, how're you?" He smiled, "Excellent. I was just wondering if you'd like to have dinner with us tomorrow night?" He rolled his eyes, mimicking over talking with his hand, "Oh no, just us parents. Sit down and have a nice dinner, talk..."
Ryan bit his lip.
"Of course, bring whatever you want. Oh, do you have that rose wine you brought last time? That was divine." He beamed, "Excellent. We'll see you tomorrow at six. Goodbye." He hung up, placed the phone gently on the table top and leaned back in his seat.
"I bought you a few hours, tomorrow. Use them wisely, son."
Ryan was already out of the house and outside the Fabray residence by the time Judy left for his house, bottle of wine clutched in her hand. He lowered his head and slid down in the seat as Judy passed, and sent a little prayer up to the heaven's that she kept on going instead of noticing his car.
He climbed out and locked his car before dashing across the road, all but leaping up the porch steps. He took the time to calm himself, taking in soothing breaths, adjusting his hair and making sure his jeans and shirt were perfectly before he rang the door bell.
It felt like his first date all over again.
Quinn had successfully avoided him all day at school; he refused to let her do it again at her own house. He just hoped she'd answer the door, after all, he hadn't shown up for a few weeks, so maybe she'd assume he got the message? Damn, he hoped she opened the door.
Light flooded through the glass beside the door, and instantly, he held his breath in anticipation. She was in, she was coming to the door. He shuffled his foot closer to the door, just in case she decided to slam it in his face.
Then the door was behind unlocked, and Quinn, looking beautiful as ever with wet hair, no make up and only in sweats and an overly faded white tee that...belonged to him...
"Please don't shut the door," He whispered, pulling his eyes away from the shirt to lock onto her eyes, "You can stop pushing me away, because I'm not going anywhere. You need me just as much as I need you, Quinn."
Quinn glanced over his shoulder, refusing to meet his eyes, "No you don't, Ryan. You have no idea how much I need you."
"Then tell me." Ryan pleaded, "Let me in."
Agonizingly slowly, she opened the door further, only just allowing him to skim through sideways. The door shut with a quiet click, and Quinn leaned against it, arms wrapped around her stomach.
"Why do you keep pushing me away when the only thing I want to do is stand by you?"
The most basic question, one that he desperately needed an answer to.
"I'm scared by how much I need you." Quinn swallowed, "I need you so much and...I know you're going to get sick of it; me clinging to you all the time and constantly needing to be around you. You need your own space, but I just...I know for a fact I won't want to give you it. So I'm just...keeping myself away; stop trying to make this more difficult for me than it already is."
"I don't care..." Ryan shook his head, cupping Quinn's face in his hands, smoothing the pads of his thumbs over pale soft cheeks, "I don't care if you think you're going to be needy, or clingy or any of that. I'm going to be there, right by you, no matter what."
"Ryan, please..." She whispered raggedly, raising her hands to clasp desperately to his, nails digging hard into the skin.
"I love you...and the baby currently growing inside of you? I'll always love little him or her too. If you need me, if the baby needs me, I'm there, no questions asked."
Her eyes snapped to his, and he flinched because, her eyes...her pupils were blown and the beautiful shining hazel that he'd fallen in love with had turned darker.
"I need you."
"i know baby, I know."
"No..." Quinn whispered, bottom lip trapped between teeth as she leaned further into his body heat, "I need you."
"I..." Then it dawned on him, "Oh..."
"Yeah. Oh."
And a hand was clutching desperately at the collar of his shirt and pulling him down, crashing his lips against hers. Eyes wide, he could only take the punishment that her lips were giving him; she was brutal, biting and nipping his lips before her tongue all but pried its way inside his mouth.
A growl of satisfaction ripped from her throat as he gave her the same in return; so he just stood there, and let her take what she needed, because after all, she needed the comfort more than he did. He knew what he wanted, and that was her.
His shirt was being pulled so tightly it almost felt like it would rip at the seams; he could hear the fibres snap under the pressure, and all it did was spur his maybe girlfriend back on. Her free hand went straight to the back of his neck, nails digging in – it was fine line between pleasure and pain, but hadn't felt her in so long, he melted into the touch.
She pulled back, lips plump, swollen and wet as she panted for breath, "Please don't run away when I scream at you"
He shook his head, "I won't." Her hand was still clutched at the collar of his shirt, and when he felt himself being tugged at again, he assumed she was going in for a kiss, but he literally dragged up the stairs, almost tripping a few times before being thrown into her bedroom.
"Charlie. Bed."
The golden Labrador stared at Ryan before snapping his attention to Quinn and promptly dashing out the door. Quinn kicked it shut with her foot.
"He's protective all of a sudden. He must know you're pregnant, can't dogs sense that?" He asked, just trying to make conversation, but the rest of the sentence died on his tongue as Quinn all but ripped her shirt off, letting it fall to her feet.
Her stomach was still flat, and he knew she wouldn't show until a couple months down the line. But her hands were clutching at her stomach, and she was whimpering, "Please don't run away when I get fatter."
Fatter. He sighed and shook his head, "I won't."
Her hand ran down to the hem of her sweats, "Promise?"
"I promise." He watched, attention well and truly on the way her skilled hands slid down her sweats and allowed them to pool at her feet. She wore no panties, and he felt an instant tightening in his pants when his eyes settled between her legs. He hadn't seen her body in so long, and he almost forgot how stunningly beautiful she truly was.
"Need me...just for one night, okay?"
He felt moisture rush to his eyes, and instead of sitting down and talking to her about it, like he knew he should have done, he just nodded and buried his face in her chest, taking a plump nipple in his mouth, lavishing it with his tongue.
The blonde writhed against his mouth, all but clawing at his back as he bit down. She cried out when he hand reached for the other, pinching tightly between two fingers. He knew she didn't want gentle and loving tonight; she'd been numb for so long, she needed to feel something.
He only pulled back when Quinn was all but whining, nipples red and sore. She helped him rip off his shirt, discarding it along with hers, quickly followed by his jeans and boxers before she shoved him down onto the bed.
She landed on her knees before him, taking him in her mouth and sucking like her life depending on it. He writhed, hands clutching desperately at her hair, goading her to take him deeper. He called out her name when she sucked on the tip, using her hand to stroke the rest of him. He was in heaven, the way her hand did incredible things to him while her other hand took residence between her own legs, violently rubbing at her clit.
She hummed and moaned against him, and the shock it sent up his spine every time threatened to send him right over the edge. Through lidded eyes, he watched her fuck her own hand, come soaking the palm as as she slid two fingers into herself.
Then his head thumped against the pillows before she cried out, a shock running through his cock and up his body. He felt as if he was going to explode, but he held it off, tightening his grip in her hair as his hips rose to meet each and every stroke of her hand and flick of her tongue.
He ached so desperately, and he felt himself just on the edge of eternal perfection, but then suddenly, her mouth and hand were being pulled away and that same hand dug into his abs.
"I'm sexy...right?" She whined, looking up at him, hips slamming down harder on her fingers. He watched, and took himself in his hand, pumping and twisting when he reached the tip, "I'm sexier than Santana and Brittany...right?"
"Baby, they have nothing on you. You're so beautiful, you take my..." He choked and pumped faster, slamming his head back against the bed, "breath away..."
She climbed over his body, kissing up his quivering stomach and chest before trailing kisses up his jaw, hand still working between her legs, "You won't leave me for anyone else, will you? Even when I'm fat and horrible to you?"
He groaned and violently shook his head, "No...no, I'd never leave you."
Quinn settled herself on his stomach, hand slowed down considerably, fingers pulled out and only teasing her clit with gentle passes. He slowed down too, feeling himself reach the brink but pulling back at just the last second. It hurt, but as he watched his girlfriend above him, staring down at him, suddenly the urge to come together overcame him.
"I love you." He muttered, sitting up and wrapping his arms around her waist, "No matter what happens that will never change. I love you and..." He took one hand and rested it on her stomach, "I love our baby, Quinn."
She blinked, and suddenly a tear trekked its way down her cheek, "We love you too..." She whispered, resting her hand over Ryan's, just like it belong there. Then she was being lifted up, and then she screamed when she felt him enter her. "Oh fuck..." She gasped, fighting for air, "Fuck!"
She was so hot and tight, and it felt just like it did all those weeks ago. Nothing had changed, they were still the same people. She felt so deliciously perfect, and as he slowly thrust in and out of her, watching as her eyes closed with a barely hidden bliss; he knew it's where he belonged.
Her hands found his shoulders, and she adjusted herself, using her knees to force herself up and collapse back down on him. The feeling of him completely filling her set her body alight, and she felt her clit tingle with each and every thrust.
"Fuck me, Ry."
The singer didn't need to asked twice. He gripped her hips, holding tight as he suddenly quickened his thrust. He panted for breath as he watched her breasts bounce, head thrown back, cries of pure pleasure ripping free from her beautiful throat.
"Deeper." She was soaked; her wetness soaked him, his thighs, her thighs, and it made it so much easier to push himself fully inside of her. She gasped, bringing her arms up to wrap tightly around his neck.
"Fuck me harder," She whispered into his ear before biting down, hard; and he almost came at the order. The movement of his hips doubled in pace, and his cock slammed harder and deeper inside his girlfriend as she all but begged for more.
Then she was on her back ,and he was towering over her, and he slid straight back in and fucked her with abandon. Her hands shot out and grabbed everything she could get her hands on; Ryan, the covers, the pillows at her head, the edge of the mattress, the headboard as she just laid there and took each and every thrust he had to give.
She was being fucked into the mattress and she loved every fucking second if it.
Her back arched, and she felt him slide in deeper; but when he sat up on his knees and held her hips there, her eyes shot down at him. His eyes were almost black, and his chest heaved with each struggling breath. In the quiet of the moment, they looked at one another; both sweating, bodies thrumming with energy that died to burst free.
Quinn whined, moving her arms up to grab the headboard, hips ever so slightly moving against his still hips. His cock slid slowly in and out of her, and she relished the feeling. She would have been embarrassed by how wet she was, but the way it made him feel inside her, blew embarrassment out of the water.
His grip tightened on her hips, and she closed her eyes, ready for the onslaught. Slowly, it happened, his hips began to move again, and she heard him groaning over the light squeak of her bed springs. Then his hips moved faster, and he was sliding deeper inside her, the grip on her hips was tighter and then he was off.
Slamming deep inside her, and she cried out, eyes squeezing shut, holding onto dear life as he fucked her. She adored every second, relishing in every pump, ever roll of his hips, and when his hand came into contact with her aching, swollen clit, she almost jumped out of her skin.
"Look at me."
Her head shook from side to side; no...she just wanted to come.
"Look at me, Quinn." His fingers teased her clit, slowly circling the bud, coaxing it even further from it's hood. Her hips rose, all but trying to extend the contact before his fingers pulled away. She whined and pleaded, all but begged him to put his hand back.
"Look. At. Me."
Ryan growled and dropped her hips to the mattress with a thump, finger poised over her clit. He looked down at her, laying there, legs spread wide, chest heaving, sweat coating her body, just begging to be fucked. He'd never seen her look so open, so beautiful.
"Quinn..." His thumb pressed down on her clit, and her hips jerked up. With a smirk, he held his finger down, and slowly began to circle it. He knew that Quinn loved it when he was rough with her clit, the way she all but begged him one time to pinch it as he fucked her. He could still hear the scream that rang through his ears all those months ago.
Slowly, his hips began moving again, only pushing in and inch or two before pulling straight back out. He repeated, taunting her to finally open her eyes. But when she didn't, he saw red, and with a loud growl, he barked, "Dammit Quinn, fucking look at me!"
Her eyes snapped open and landed sharply on him. Her legs wrapped tightly around him, and then suddenly he was leaning over her, trapped between her delicious thighs, dark hazel eyes drilling into. He lost it. His hips flew into action and he slammed down into her, hips smashing deliciously against her clit as he slid in and out of her.
She screamed and released the headboard, favouring to dig and trail her nails down his back. He hissed when she dug particularly hard, but it just spurred him on, made him want to push deeper and harder and make her scream his name as she came.
Burying his head in her neck, he sucked hard on the skin, biting it, bruising it, marking it. Quinn was his, the baby inside her womb was his; no one would take that away from him, no matter how hard they tried.
The coiling in his stomach was too much, and it hurt as he held it back, but as Quinn's hips rose one last time, and his name tore loudly from her lips, he shuddered and released deep inside her, painting her walls with his come.
Together, they gasped for breath, trying desperately to calm their slamming hearts. When he finally tried to pull out, Quinn's legs wrapped tighter around him and pulled him right back, "Don't go...please don't go..."
He wrapped his arms around her, holding her close as she cried, "Please don't leave me. Please."
Her hips rose once more, slowly, almost rhythmically, trying to get him hard again. He sighed against her neck, feeling himself grow hard as she clenched her walls against him. It felt so good, especially with the way she kissed his shoulder and neck.
"Quinn..."
"I can't deal with this by myself, Ryan..." She turned and planted him firmly on his back. She sat above him, his cock still deep within her. He felt each individual twitch of her muscles, and he groaned when she tensed particularly hard. "I need you there..."
"I'm always going to be there baby..."
A broken sob tore from her throat as she leaned forward, planting both her hands on his chest, hips slowly starting up a new rhythm; a slow and gentle rhythm. She needed him close, she needed him, just for a little while. So he laid back and let her do the work, watching her as her eyes scrunched tight once more, hips rolling, breasts bouncing that were eventually held and teased in his own hands.
"I love you, Quinn."
She sobbed through a moan, "I love you too." Her hips moved faster, her clit grinding down hard against his hip bone, "Oh God, I love you so much..."
And he was groaning, echoing each and every one of hers as her pussy clenched tightly around him. With a light scream, she arched her back, through her head back and came; the warm gush of her orgasm spreading down his cock and setting him off.
He shot up, wrapped his arms around her body and held her close as his body shook through his climax. They sat there, Ryan in two minds about whether he should pull back, just in case Quinn thought he was going to run away; but her hand went through his hair, pushing back sweaty brown locks from his face and eventually pulling him away.
"I'm going to be a bitch."
Ryan locked eyes with her.
"And I'm going to say horrible things to you...but please, don't give up on me."
He smiled softly, the back of his hand brushing against her wet cheek, "I'll never give up on you. Or the baby."
A sob of relief escaped her lips before she even had chance to stop it, "Promise...?"
"I promise."