The Highway Of Regret (4/?)
Title: The Highway Of Regret
Author: Troubadette
Pairing,Character(s): Eventual Artie/Tina, Brittany/Santana, mentions of Sam/Santana, Brittany/Artie, Tina/Mike
Rating: M
Word Count:
Spoilers: 2x14 promo - Speculation Fic
Summary: "Why doesn’t she love me, Artie?” When a drunken Brittany makes her feelings for Santana known at Rachel's party, it forces Artie and Tina to look back on their broken relationship and sparks realizations for Santana.
Tina doesn’t know if she should call Artie. She argues with herself about it all day Sunday. There are so many things to consider - what was happening between Artie and Brittany, now that Artie knew how she felt about Santana. Whether it was okay for Tina to call him at all, given that they hadn’t exactly been the best of friends since they broke up. Sure, they were friendly, but their relationship still wasn’t quite back to as comfortable as it used to be. There was also the question of what they’d both said to each other at the party - was it just something he said drunk? Was it something she’d just replied because... the moment swept her up? And then there’s Mike. Sure, Mike and Artie are friends again - Mike had been practically bending over backwards to get Artie’s friendship back after she and Mike hooked up at Asian camp - and the last thing Tina wants to do was mess that up. But the question still remains... should she call Artie?
By Monday morning, she’s more or less convinced herself that the best thing to do is get up early, get a latte and one of those double chocolate chip muffins that Artie likes so much and show up at his house. He’ll definitely appreciate it and it’s something she used to do so often that it’s still kind of second nature - even though, realistically, it hasn’t happened in months, it’s still familiar. So she wakes up early, goes down to the local coffee shop, grabs a latte and a double chocolate chip muffin then drives to Artie’s. She knocks on the door and Mrs. Abrams answers, a broad smile on her face.
“Tina, dear,” she exclaims with a grin. “Haven’t seen you in awhile. How are you?”
“I’m good, Mrs. Abrams,” she replies, a little uncomfortable but glad that Artie’s mom isn’t about to tar and feather her after the breakup. “How are you?”
“Oh, same old, same old,” she says, ushering her in. “Come on inside, you’ll catch your death.” Mrs. Abrams gestures to the bag and tray of coffees. “Bringing breakfast, I see.”
“Yeah, I was in the neighborhood and figured what the heck,” replies Tina, following Mrs. Abrams down the hall toward the kitchen, where Artie is at the table, eating what looked like peanut butter on toast. “And it looks like he’s already got breakfast under control.”
“Is that a double chocolate chip muffin?” asks Artie.
“Good morning to you, too.”
“Good morning. Is that a double chocolate chip muffin?” He looks over eagerly.
Tina hands it over, rolling her eyes. “There you go. I brought you a latte, too.” She takes one of the lattes from the container, hands it to him and grabs the other one to start on herself.
“To what do I owe the pleasure of breakfast?” asks Artie, practically ripping the bag open to all but attack the muffin.
“I figured that after everything, you might be a little down,” says Tina quietly, hoping she’s out of earshot of his mom. “You know, with Brittany and Santana.”
Artie looks like he’s about to say something when Mrs. Abrams ushers a familiar figure into the kitchen. “Your fan club is in full swing today,” she comments as Brittany follows her in, coffee and a muffin bag in hand.
“Hey Tina,” says Brittany cheerfully. “I didn’t know you’d be here, so I didn’t get you a muffin. Sorry.” She looks down at Artie’s lap, the first muffin sitting there, slightly forlorn. “You already have a muffin.”
“I can eat two muffins,” Artie insists. “Probably can’t drink two lattes, though.”
“Mrs. Abrams, would you like a latte?” Brittany asks, offering the spare coffee to the (very confused) looking woman.
“Thank you, Brittany, that’s very sweet.” Mrs. Abrams takes the latte cup, looks at Tina, then at Brittany, then at Tina, then at Brittany, then finally at Artie. It’s almost as if she’s going to say something but then she turns her head to look at the clock. “All of you better get to school. You don’t want to be late.”
“I’ve got my car,” Brittany offers. “Tina, you need a ride?”
Tina figures at this point it’s best to just go with it. Artie doesn’t live far from her place or the local coffee shop, so she’d walked. They had a grand tradition of walking to school together and she guesses she’d figured that’s what they do today but with Brittany here and having a car she guesses it makes sense. “Okay, sounds good.”
The entire drive, Artie keeps glancing at her in the rear view mirror while Brittany chatters away happily about something - Tina’s not really following because Brittany is a really, really scary person to be a passenger in a car with. Tina vows to check with Artie whether or not she actually passed Driver’s Ed, just as soon as they’re safely at school.
“So you and Artie are friends again now,” says Brittany with a smile, breaking into Tina’s thoughts. “That’s so cool.”
Tina catches Artie‘s apologetic glance in the mirror. “We were always friends,” Tina argues.
“No you weren’t,” says Brittany simply. “You were like, not talking to each other ever - all the Glee kids could see it. And Artie was all sad about it but you were busy with Mike Chang so you didn’t seem as sad as Artie - and isn’t it weird that you’re dating a guy with the same last name as you?”
“It’s a common last name,” Tina replies, a little offended. Artie breaks eye contact and... is he trying not to laugh?
“I kind of thought you guys were cousins,” Brittany continues, turning around to face Tina. “In fact, you still might be. Did you, like, check first?”
“Eyes on the road, Brit.”
Artie catches her eyes again and she tries not to nod gratefully. Because this really isn’t a conversation she wants to have with Brittany. A million questions are going through her head. What’s going on with Artie and Brittany? They seem fine. Has the Santana revelation changed anything? Had they even talked about it? Is Artie just pretending it didn’t happen? Maybe he is - he’s not exactly the most confrontational person she knows. But this after what felt like a serious bombshell, this is just... bizarre.
They arrive at McKinley and as Brittany is opening the trunk to get Artie’s wheelchair out (in a familiar manner that just does something to Tina’s heart), Tina spots Mike heading toward them. Brittany waves cheerfully and Mike returns the wave, nodding to Artie who’s sitting with the open front door, waiting for the chair.
“Hey guys,” he greets them all, sidling up to Tina and giving her a quick kiss. It’s a little awkward, having Artie and Brittany right there. Not that it should be, because hell, they’d double dated before, on one of Mike’s little crusades to fix the bromance between him and Artie. (Tina had been a little weirded out at the time, sure, but it definitely beat dim sum with Mike’s mom.) “Didn’t realize you were coming in with these guys.”
It takes Tina a moment to remember that Mike had said he’d pick her up that morning. The fact that it completely slipped her mind makes her feel like an absolute idiot. “It kind of just happened,” she replies, not exactly sure where she’s going with this.
“She was at the coffee shop getting a latte when I got there,” says Brittany. “So I offered her a ride.”
“Just needed my early morning caffiene jolt,” Tina agrees, not really sure why Brittany’s clearly covering for her.
“You do get cranky without the coffee,” Mike agrees. He puts his arm around her. “Come on, I’ll walk you to homeroom. Catch you later, guys.”
Mike’s ushering her across the parking lot toward the school before she can protest and damn it, she hates it when he leads her around just because he’s taller and can. “Okay, what’s with the caveman all of a sudden?”
“What? I’m just escorting my girlfriend to homeroom.”
“You’re pushing me,” she says, wriggling out from under his arm. “It’s offensive.”
Mike sighs. “Sorry. I’m just... you coming to school with Artie and Brittany, forgetting that I’m picking you up - not great for the ego, okay? And with you and Artie getting more and more friendly lately... I’m sorry, I just didn’t want to be around them.”
Tina bites her lip because, really, he has a point. “Artie and I have been friends for years,” she says instead.
“I know.”
“And he’s always going to be in my life.”
Mike sighs again. “I know.”
“And he’s with Brittany, so it’s not like-”
“I know, Tina.” Mike looks more than a little uncomfortable now. “It’s just... there was a thing, at the party, wasn’t there? Something went down between you and Artie and I can’t figure out exactly what it was, but it definitely went down. I got a vibe. I definitely, definitely got a vibe.”
At this point, Tina has no idea how to respond. Because yes, there was a moment with Artie. But to explain, she’d have to tell him about Brittany’s drunken confession. And she doesn’t feel like she can. Not because Mike’s a blabbermouth or anything, but because she’s still not even sure she should know. And the last thing she needs is it that particular piece of gossip getting out. “Look, it was a weird night, and there was alcohol consumed and... Artie and I have a history, okay? But nothing happened. And nothing is going to happen. So just... trust me and let it go.” She sighs. “Look, I need to grab something from my locker, I’ll see you in Glee later today.”
Artie’s in her third period Chem class and sits more or less right beside her. It was an awkward arrangement when they were still in their ‘not really talking’ phase but had gotten a lot easier - when Artie’s lab partner was out with mono and Tina’s lab partner seemed to think attendence was entirely optional, they’d found themselves temporarily partnered together. They’d always worked well together so after a few weeks of being lab partners, the ice between them melted. Today, however, it might not be such a great thing.
“So, we didn’t really get to talk about the whole breakfast situation,” says Artie as soon as the teacher has left them to their own devices.
“I’m sorry,” says Tina hurriedly. “I just assumed that because of the... thing at the party, that things with you and Brit would be... and I wanted to make sure you were okay.”
“We’re fine,” Artie assures her. There’s something about his tone that’s not entirely sincere so she fixes him with a skeptical look until he caves. “Okay, so we’re not... fine, but we’re okay. We’re... we talked. About the... situation. And we’re staying together, because we do care about each other. Even though... yeah.”
“So the fact that she doesn’t... the fact that she wants someone else doesn’t matter?” asks Tina, more than a little confused. And a little pissed off. “That doesn’t seem like a good reason to be with someone.”
Artie‘s expression shifts somewhat. “Remember what you said to me at the party, Tina," he says in a near whisper, leaning in closer. “You said... you said you felt more for me than you do for Mike, but you’re still with him. If that was true, then maybe you need to think about why you’re with him, as well.”
“That’s different,” Tina insists. And damn it, she knows her argument is weak here, she knows it’s really not that different and she’s still not sure what she feels but she doesn’t like being challenged on this, not by Artie who’s essentially just offered to be Brittany’s beard.
“I don’t think it really is,” Artie replies. It’s not angry, it’s not confrontational - more than anything, it just seems a little tired. “I think eventually, you’re going to need to make a decision about it.”
It feels like the conversation is about to take a dangerous turn, which is why it’s probably a good thing when Lauren approaches their table (relatively stealthily, Tina might add) with a request to borrow Artie later in the day for an AV project. At the very least, it’s stopped Tina frrom asking what could possibly be an incredibly dangerous question.
You said you felt more for me than you do for Brittany. Is your decision really made?
Author: Troubadette
Pairing,Character(s): Eventual Artie/Tina, Brittany/Santana, mentions of Sam/Santana, Brittany/Artie, Tina/Mike
Rating: M
Word Count:
Spoilers: 2x14 promo - Speculation Fic
Summary: "Why doesn’t she love me, Artie?” When a drunken Brittany makes her feelings for Santana known at Rachel's party, it forces Artie and Tina to look back on their broken relationship and sparks realizations for Santana.
Tina doesn’t know if she should call Artie. She argues with herself about it all day Sunday. There are so many things to consider - what was happening between Artie and Brittany, now that Artie knew how she felt about Santana. Whether it was okay for Tina to call him at all, given that they hadn’t exactly been the best of friends since they broke up. Sure, they were friendly, but their relationship still wasn’t quite back to as comfortable as it used to be. There was also the question of what they’d both said to each other at the party - was it just something he said drunk? Was it something she’d just replied because... the moment swept her up? And then there’s Mike. Sure, Mike and Artie are friends again - Mike had been practically bending over backwards to get Artie’s friendship back after she and Mike hooked up at Asian camp - and the last thing Tina wants to do was mess that up. But the question still remains... should she call Artie?
By Monday morning, she’s more or less convinced herself that the best thing to do is get up early, get a latte and one of those double chocolate chip muffins that Artie likes so much and show up at his house. He’ll definitely appreciate it and it’s something she used to do so often that it’s still kind of second nature - even though, realistically, it hasn’t happened in months, it’s still familiar. So she wakes up early, goes down to the local coffee shop, grabs a latte and a double chocolate chip muffin then drives to Artie’s. She knocks on the door and Mrs. Abrams answers, a broad smile on her face.
“Tina, dear,” she exclaims with a grin. “Haven’t seen you in awhile. How are you?”
“I’m good, Mrs. Abrams,” she replies, a little uncomfortable but glad that Artie’s mom isn’t about to tar and feather her after the breakup. “How are you?”
“Oh, same old, same old,” she says, ushering her in. “Come on inside, you’ll catch your death.” Mrs. Abrams gestures to the bag and tray of coffees. “Bringing breakfast, I see.”
“Yeah, I was in the neighborhood and figured what the heck,” replies Tina, following Mrs. Abrams down the hall toward the kitchen, where Artie is at the table, eating what looked like peanut butter on toast. “And it looks like he’s already got breakfast under control.”
“Is that a double chocolate chip muffin?” asks Artie.
“Good morning to you, too.”
“Good morning. Is that a double chocolate chip muffin?” He looks over eagerly.
Tina hands it over, rolling her eyes. “There you go. I brought you a latte, too.” She takes one of the lattes from the container, hands it to him and grabs the other one to start on herself.
“To what do I owe the pleasure of breakfast?” asks Artie, practically ripping the bag open to all but attack the muffin.
“I figured that after everything, you might be a little down,” says Tina quietly, hoping she’s out of earshot of his mom. “You know, with Brittany and Santana.”
Artie looks like he’s about to say something when Mrs. Abrams ushers a familiar figure into the kitchen. “Your fan club is in full swing today,” she comments as Brittany follows her in, coffee and a muffin bag in hand.
“Hey Tina,” says Brittany cheerfully. “I didn’t know you’d be here, so I didn’t get you a muffin. Sorry.” She looks down at Artie’s lap, the first muffin sitting there, slightly forlorn. “You already have a muffin.”
“I can eat two muffins,” Artie insists. “Probably can’t drink two lattes, though.”
“Mrs. Abrams, would you like a latte?” Brittany asks, offering the spare coffee to the (very confused) looking woman.
“Thank you, Brittany, that’s very sweet.” Mrs. Abrams takes the latte cup, looks at Tina, then at Brittany, then at Tina, then at Brittany, then finally at Artie. It’s almost as if she’s going to say something but then she turns her head to look at the clock. “All of you better get to school. You don’t want to be late.”
“I’ve got my car,” Brittany offers. “Tina, you need a ride?”
Tina figures at this point it’s best to just go with it. Artie doesn’t live far from her place or the local coffee shop, so she’d walked. They had a grand tradition of walking to school together and she guesses she’d figured that’s what they do today but with Brittany here and having a car she guesses it makes sense. “Okay, sounds good.”
The entire drive, Artie keeps glancing at her in the rear view mirror while Brittany chatters away happily about something - Tina’s not really following because Brittany is a really, really scary person to be a passenger in a car with. Tina vows to check with Artie whether or not she actually passed Driver’s Ed, just as soon as they’re safely at school.
“So you and Artie are friends again now,” says Brittany with a smile, breaking into Tina’s thoughts. “That’s so cool.”
Tina catches Artie‘s apologetic glance in the mirror. “We were always friends,” Tina argues.
“No you weren’t,” says Brittany simply. “You were like, not talking to each other ever - all the Glee kids could see it. And Artie was all sad about it but you were busy with Mike Chang so you didn’t seem as sad as Artie - and isn’t it weird that you’re dating a guy with the same last name as you?”
“It’s a common last name,” Tina replies, a little offended. Artie breaks eye contact and... is he trying not to laugh?
“I kind of thought you guys were cousins,” Brittany continues, turning around to face Tina. “In fact, you still might be. Did you, like, check first?”
“Eyes on the road, Brit.”
Artie catches her eyes again and she tries not to nod gratefully. Because this really isn’t a conversation she wants to have with Brittany. A million questions are going through her head. What’s going on with Artie and Brittany? They seem fine. Has the Santana revelation changed anything? Had they even talked about it? Is Artie just pretending it didn’t happen? Maybe he is - he’s not exactly the most confrontational person she knows. But this after what felt like a serious bombshell, this is just... bizarre.
They arrive at McKinley and as Brittany is opening the trunk to get Artie’s wheelchair out (in a familiar manner that just does something to Tina’s heart), Tina spots Mike heading toward them. Brittany waves cheerfully and Mike returns the wave, nodding to Artie who’s sitting with the open front door, waiting for the chair.
“Hey guys,” he greets them all, sidling up to Tina and giving her a quick kiss. It’s a little awkward, having Artie and Brittany right there. Not that it should be, because hell, they’d double dated before, on one of Mike’s little crusades to fix the bromance between him and Artie. (Tina had been a little weirded out at the time, sure, but it definitely beat dim sum with Mike’s mom.) “Didn’t realize you were coming in with these guys.”
It takes Tina a moment to remember that Mike had said he’d pick her up that morning. The fact that it completely slipped her mind makes her feel like an absolute idiot. “It kind of just happened,” she replies, not exactly sure where she’s going with this.
“She was at the coffee shop getting a latte when I got there,” says Brittany. “So I offered her a ride.”
“Just needed my early morning caffiene jolt,” Tina agrees, not really sure why Brittany’s clearly covering for her.
“You do get cranky without the coffee,” Mike agrees. He puts his arm around her. “Come on, I’ll walk you to homeroom. Catch you later, guys.”
Mike’s ushering her across the parking lot toward the school before she can protest and damn it, she hates it when he leads her around just because he’s taller and can. “Okay, what’s with the caveman all of a sudden?”
“What? I’m just escorting my girlfriend to homeroom.”
“You’re pushing me,” she says, wriggling out from under his arm. “It’s offensive.”
Mike sighs. “Sorry. I’m just... you coming to school with Artie and Brittany, forgetting that I’m picking you up - not great for the ego, okay? And with you and Artie getting more and more friendly lately... I’m sorry, I just didn’t want to be around them.”
Tina bites her lip because, really, he has a point. “Artie and I have been friends for years,” she says instead.
“I know.”
“And he’s always going to be in my life.”
Mike sighs again. “I know.”
“And he’s with Brittany, so it’s not like-”
“I know, Tina.” Mike looks more than a little uncomfortable now. “It’s just... there was a thing, at the party, wasn’t there? Something went down between you and Artie and I can’t figure out exactly what it was, but it definitely went down. I got a vibe. I definitely, definitely got a vibe.”
At this point, Tina has no idea how to respond. Because yes, there was a moment with Artie. But to explain, she’d have to tell him about Brittany’s drunken confession. And she doesn’t feel like she can. Not because Mike’s a blabbermouth or anything, but because she’s still not even sure she should know. And the last thing she needs is it that particular piece of gossip getting out. “Look, it was a weird night, and there was alcohol consumed and... Artie and I have a history, okay? But nothing happened. And nothing is going to happen. So just... trust me and let it go.” She sighs. “Look, I need to grab something from my locker, I’ll see you in Glee later today.”
Artie’s in her third period Chem class and sits more or less right beside her. It was an awkward arrangement when they were still in their ‘not really talking’ phase but had gotten a lot easier - when Artie’s lab partner was out with mono and Tina’s lab partner seemed to think attendence was entirely optional, they’d found themselves temporarily partnered together. They’d always worked well together so after a few weeks of being lab partners, the ice between them melted. Today, however, it might not be such a great thing.
“So, we didn’t really get to talk about the whole breakfast situation,” says Artie as soon as the teacher has left them to their own devices.
“I’m sorry,” says Tina hurriedly. “I just assumed that because of the... thing at the party, that things with you and Brit would be... and I wanted to make sure you were okay.”
“We’re fine,” Artie assures her. There’s something about his tone that’s not entirely sincere so she fixes him with a skeptical look until he caves. “Okay, so we’re not... fine, but we’re okay. We’re... we talked. About the... situation. And we’re staying together, because we do care about each other. Even though... yeah.”
“So the fact that she doesn’t... the fact that she wants someone else doesn’t matter?” asks Tina, more than a little confused. And a little pissed off. “That doesn’t seem like a good reason to be with someone.”
Artie‘s expression shifts somewhat. “Remember what you said to me at the party, Tina," he says in a near whisper, leaning in closer. “You said... you said you felt more for me than you do for Mike, but you’re still with him. If that was true, then maybe you need to think about why you’re with him, as well.”
“That’s different,” Tina insists. And damn it, she knows her argument is weak here, she knows it’s really not that different and she’s still not sure what she feels but she doesn’t like being challenged on this, not by Artie who’s essentially just offered to be Brittany’s beard.
“I don’t think it really is,” Artie replies. It’s not angry, it’s not confrontational - more than anything, it just seems a little tired. “I think eventually, you’re going to need to make a decision about it.”
It feels like the conversation is about to take a dangerous turn, which is why it’s probably a good thing when Lauren approaches their table (relatively stealthily, Tina might add) with a request to borrow Artie later in the day for an AV project. At the very least, it’s stopped Tina frrom asking what could possibly be an incredibly dangerous question.
You said you felt more for me than you do for Brittany. Is your decision really made?