AN : Ack, I've been so busy. I have a final installment which I shall try my hardest to post before that clock turns 12 am tonight because I really, really don't want to be late (even though by posting standards, this already kinda is). Thanks for reviewing you guys, it means a lot!
The Heart Grows Fonder
(Part II – Tina)
If they be two, they are two so
As stiff twin compasses are two;
Thy soul, the fix'd foot, makes no show
To move, but doth, if th' other do.
A Valediction Forbidding Mourning, John Donne
—
You're love-hate relationship with the rain is rendered moot in Seattle. You don't really have a choice.
It's September and what with global warming making the weather crazy, you're forced to go out and buy a new pair of combat boots to replace your 'squishies' - the Facebook update which gets you two likes (one from Artie, one from a classmate) and a snarky comment from Kurt about at least having a legitimate excuse for wearing them now.
You miss your friends, so much.
—
Some days are worse than others but generally speaking, you're heart doesn't feel like bursting from the loneliness (hopelessness) that clouds over your brain, takes over your body, the way it had done last year.
You read about long-distance relationships online, the trials, the tribulations but you've got faith in Artie and yourself and you make a pact that you won't let yourself slip off into that deep, dark place again. For Artie's sake as much as for yours because you want to show him how much he's helped - you only ever want to show him that because even though everyone thinks he's the one relying on you, you want the world to see that you need him so much more.
—
You know he's trying but Artie's a little busier this quarter, unlike your own, so you occupy yourself with work and you convince your boss that holding a weekly open mic night would benefit the quaint little neighborhood coffee shop you work in. That's how you meet Elsie, Aga and Russell and your heart grows to accommodate these new friends.
It's definitely not Glee club and it's more like the Breakfast Club more than anything but they understand that you're introverted, not anti-social, and you understand their quirks as well and you mentally thank Mr. Schuester for banding you crazy lot back then because Glee club's little society was like practice for the real world.
—
You don't believe your eyes when you jog up the stairs from your basement suite one crisp November morning and Noah Puckerman is leaning against his truck like some T-Birds reject. It literally looks as if he'd planned to pick you up for an outing that day when you hadn't actually seen or heard from him in almost four months.
(Who the heck does that arms crossed, back lean in real life?)
"Sup Asian," he grins and you're overcome with the insatiable urge to turn heel and crawl back under your blanket.
—
I mean, it's weird - really weird - and I know he's not your favorite person in the world but Finn says he's in bad shape since Quinn rejected him in September.
"Right, I remember that, Mercedes was keeping me updated on the Quick-y Crisis. But this is just-."
Yeah. But he's trying to find his sound and since LA didn't work out for him, I told him about Seattle and now he wants to see what the music scene is like there. I already had the bro code speech with him so he says he won't try anything-
You hear Puck in the den, his laughter drowning out Family Guy for a few seconds but your thoughts meander to just how close you all grew up to be, the old Glee Club, you feel a pull at your heartstrings. If even Artie, who had the least amount of trust to place in people after his accident and the years following (including Stuttergate), could grow to be so compassionate to Puck of all people, then you had no place to judge. And in your eyes, your respect and admiration for Artie grew a thousandfold all over again.
-and maybe you can help smarten him up a bit?
"Is that permission for me to kick his ass?" You quip with an unladylike snort which makes Artie smile fondly at you from your computer screen. "He said it'll only be a few days anyway," you finally amend. "Are you sure you're okay with this though? I don't mind making him sleep in my cousin's treehouse."
But Artie just shakes his head ruefully and you know despite those years of slushie facials and throwing your boyfriend's wheelchair off the roof, you've both forgiven Puck for his douchiness.
Doesn't mean you never get the urge to smack him upside the head though.
—
See, Rachel and Finn are pretty lucky in that despite being far enough from each other to be considered 'long distance', they still get the chance to see each other on a regular enough basis. And that certain, um, needs are met . Artie brings it up once in a while but for the most part, you've both come to a begrudging acknowledgement that some things aren't meant to be, and for you two, it's an active sex life.
You're initially suspicious then, when Rachel asks whether you do anything to relieve tension between Artie and yourself. You promptly choke on your mint patty when she asks if you've ever tried a sexy webcam show.
"It's quite empowering," she types and you're just glad your laptop doesn't combust from this entire conversation even existing in your harddrive.
But the seed is planted and you pop by Victoria's Secret later that week.
—
You had it all planned out. You ask him if his roommate's around. He says no but he notices the way you let your hair uncoil from its bun, the way you bite your bottom lip coyly, and then you do a Baywatch hair flip and you know you've got his undivided attention. As you begin to slip the shirt over your head, you suddenly hear a ruckus that isn't a) Artie's garbled noises of pleasure and b) Artie's sighs of 'daaaaayum'.
Hey buddy, do you know what-WOAH.
Finn! Don't you knoc-!
Yo, dude, I was just out-AHH!
Matt, what the hell, both of you get out!
While this is happening on Artie's side of the monitor, you hurriedly try to pull the shirt back down but it seems to be stuck and when you finally manage to squirm your arms out of the tangled sleeves, Puck is smirking down at you with your top balled up in his hand. Where the hell did he come from?
"Puck, give me my shirt back!"
"I'm just helpin' a brother out, Cohen. Nice bra, by the way." Puck makes a thumbs up in the direction of your laptop and you lunge for your shirt again.
DUDE, BRO CODE. Not cool Puckerman!
-That was Tina! Uh, I didn't see Tina in her underwear just now.
Puck begins laughing like nobody's business but he holds out the shirt to you and you know he's just messing with you and why, why didn't you lock your bedroom door? Or wear a different shirt? You're mortified beyond belief. The last thing you remember hearing before you slam your laptop shut and aim a swift punch at Puck's nose is Finn's hesitant voice stating:
"Rachel usually pretends she forgot the camera was on..."
—
...Maybe you can laugh about this in the future.
—
Or maybe you can't.
It's been two weeks and Puck still hasn't moved out. He left an envelope of money on your dining table a few days ago which you tried to return and he promptly snuck back into your wallet so you just let it be. It's kind of pleasant, having company to come home to and when Puck is laying on your couch, eating his third bowl of Fruity Pebbles, you wonder idly what kind of meals Artie will cook when you two live together.
You know he's getting a little stressed from his workload but it's like Artie in sophomore year all over again. He makes biting remarks about anything, on the off-chance you do get to speak to each other and Puck had to literally shake you back to your senses when you didn't hear from him for two whole days.
"Artie, what did I do?"
He sighs into the phone and you curl your fingers so hard around yours, you accidentally press a button and you have to apologize for doing it.
Tina, your friends met Puck before I did.
"But... he wanted to play at Open Mic Night, and they're always there. I couldn't really pretend I didn't know him but that's beside the point. It doesn't matter, they know who you are, you're my boyfriend and-."
I'm not jealous, he starts but you think otherwise because his voice has taken on a bitter tone. It's just that I thought he was only going to be there a short while and now he practically lives there and everyone probably assumes you two are doing it-
"Artie!"
-and everyone's going to think I'm just this-this thing that you're stringing along. Everyone's gonna compare me to him because he's the 'other man'-
"But he's not! And you know that!"
Do I?
You're stunned to silence and you blink a few times in shock even though you know he can't see it. He's never, you thought he'd never accuse you of cheating on him.
It just feels like the summer before Junior Year, he states quietly, bringing up the time Mike and you started dating.
"I can't believe you," you seethe and you hang up the phone with a slam.
—
Artie doesn't call that evening but he apologizes the next morning over the phone. He admits he's feeling insecure about you getting used to someone who can move around and do things for you in a household. You don't bring up talk of living together for a while but you give Puck a look across the dining table during the six o'clock news on Saturday and he gruffly makes an excuse about not wanting to be the next Cobain as he gets in his truck the next day.
He gives your cheek a chaste kiss as a thanks for the hospitality and that's truly, honestly the only kiss you two ever exchanged during his stay there.
—
There's a short time-frame over the Winter break in which everyone is at Lima so a reunion is called forth at the Berry residence. It's pretty great to see everyone again, the periodical get-togethers really do wonders for you, even if you still feel like you're walking on eggshells around Artie because Noah's bound to show up sometime.
When Puck enters the room, the first thing Artie does is wheel towards him, promptly run over his foot and then pull him down into a headlock. It all happens so fast, no one actually sees how it takes place, they just hear the 'OW' and the subsequent grunting of the former jock with his head trapped under Artie's armpit.
"That's for the shirt thing," he shouts right into Puck's ear before he calmly pushes him to the ground and goes back into the kitchen where Quinn, Mercedes and Kurt follow him to try and pry some information. Finn and Matt stand around looking everywhere but at you and Mike, Santana and Brittany exchange confused looks.
You blame Rachel.
—
You're convinced that your respective schools' are purposefully exchanging schedules to make sure Artie and you are never freed up in the same quarter. So you both find off-beat ways of entertaining each other to pass the time until Spring Break when he's promised to fly out to see you, at which time you'll be meeting up with Mike, Brittany and Quinn and the five of you will head down for a Californian road trip.
Riding on his fifteen minutes of Youtube fame from last summer, he starts a personal project chronicling daily dorm life with his buddies in a highly dramatized web series that strongly reminds you of his Run Joey Run video. It cracks you up but you tell him he needs an Asian Vampire to make it perfect. A few days later, Part IV is uploaded and it features a cameo by who else but one Mike Chang. And you have no doubt in your mind, Artie's definitely going places with his art.
Two days later, he calls you while you're at work and at first you think it's an emergency because he knows you've only just started but he's thrilled.
The Tina!Bear Care Package? Tee, this is awesome! The cookies are amazing and where'd you get all this stuff? The book, the mix Cd... yeah, but like, this pullover is seriously sick, it's like it was made for me!
"It... it was," you say, all at once shy. "It was supposed to be a Christmas present but I couldn't finish it in time. And the left shoulder hole is a little smaller than the right one and-."
You stop talking because Artie makes a noise between a sob and a choke.
Tee, seriously? It's perfect, I love you so much. You know I've always wanted knitwear that says Big Pimpin' on it!
You don't have the heart to tell him you pulled a Phoebe and the cookies are actually from refrigerated Pillsbury dough.
—
Elsie and Aga are present when Kurt calls you the next day and starts crying hellfire and brimstone at you after Artie updates his profile picture, sporting the sweater. They're rightfully terrified of continuing plans to visit New York with you after that incident.
—
The Pacific Coast Highway clears your mind, clears your head, clears your soul. You sound like a total hippie but as the wind whips your hair about your face, and you pull down your sunglasses and grin lazily at Artie seated beside you, you've never felt more at one with yourself. Quinn is quiet in the passenger's seat, Mike's humming to the song on the radio and Brittany is dozing behind you guys but the silence isn't awkward or uncomfortable. In fact, it's quite the opposite. You kind of understand why Mike still refuses to tie himself down to school despite his traditional parents' protest.
Brittany wakes up just then, grinning like a cat when she points out a scenic lookout sign.
It's a beautiful moment, when you're all standing together gazing out at the sea below but when Artie slips his fingers between yours, you think of how odd and lucky it is that you've found your soulmate before the week of soul-searching even came to fruition.
—
April, May, June.
The last months always run into each other. You're panicking about final exams and news that your mom and dad are thinking of moving to Toronto - yeah, Canada - which kind of affects how your summers will go from there on out. Artie's up to his shoulders in assignments and projects but a few days before the first of your exams, he shoots off an e-mail that momentarily makes you forget all about your stress.
To: xxtriple_c
From: rocketman94
Sup girl!
I know I've kinda been all over the place lately but I have two seconds to breathe so I wanted to say hi!
I'll call you later as usual but I might not be able to talk much because the studio will only be open until 10 pm tonight and I have to finish my write-ups by tomorrow. I just wanted to check-in and say I love you!
Holla atcha boy!
Artie
PS - The picture attached if FYEO - for your eyes only.
—
Two weeks. Two more weeks and you are going to ravage that man.