When We Touch: Tina & Quinn
Title: When We Touch
Part: 2: Tina & Quinn
Author: Squeeka Cuomo
Rating: PG
Character(s)/Pairing(s): Tina C., Quinn Fabray
Author Notes: A series of one shots, this project was inspired by, and started for story_lottery.
Warning: N/A
Disclaimer: Not mine.
Summary: Random moments. Simple touches. Unforgettable encounters.
When We TouchTina & Quinn
“Hey! Watch it les-” Quinn stopped mid-word and snorted pointedly. Her eyes roved over a very disheveled Tina, obviously not liking what she was seeing. “Well, I was going to say lesbo, but aren’t you and that wheelchair kid, like, dating or whatever? I mean, you’re always pushing his chair around. That’s gotta be, what, first base with him?” The cheerleader chuckled at her own joke as she flipped her hair back. The sound was soft and amused, belying the true nature of her words, and Tina wasn’t fooled. She’d been tormented one too many times by Quinn Fabray to be tricked by the sweetness of her voice.
“Ar… Ar… Artie and I, we’re just-” Tina had been working on her stutter and it had gotten better over the past few months. But when she was stressed or upset, it always managed to come back to haunt her. And bumping into the Cheerio of Cheerios definitely counted as a stressful situation.
“Friends?” Quinn smiled knowingly. “I believe you. And because of that, I definitely think you’re gay.”
“I’m… I…” That time, Tina wasn’t stuttering. She just couldn’t bring herself to deny what Quinn was saying.
It wasn’t that Tina was gay. Or… at least, she didn’t think she was. But when she had bumped into Quinn, when their bodies had collided, all elbows and books, Tina had felt more pleasure than pain.
Right before Tina had slammed into Quinn, she’d been rushing down the overcrowded hall between fifth and sixth period. She’d been heading towards a huge biology test. When it had happened, her head had been bowed low over her textbook as she’d tried to cram a few last bits of vitally important information into memory.
One moment she’d been trying to copy and paste the finer points of photosynthesis into her brain, and the next her book had been crashing to the floor as she’d taken an elbow to the ribs. As Tina had let out an involuntary “oooof,” a shrill shriek had met her ears. The noise should have been able to shatter glass; it should have made Tina’s ears bleed, but it hadn’t. Sure, it had been annoying, but it also had been sweet, girly.
Trying to brush off how the noise had (or hadn’t) affected her, Tina had dropped to the floor to grab her book. (It would only have taken a few seconds for it to get swept away in a tidal wave of stomping feet.) But as she’d picked it up. Tina had noticed a pair of perfectly white sneakers, standing right before her, one foot tapping impatiently. And instantly, she’d frozen.
There was only one group of people in the whole school who was allowed to wear those particular shoes.
The Cheerios.
And making one of them mad was never a good thing.
But for some reason, as Tina had watched the rapidly tapping foot, what she felt hadn’t been fear. It had been something else, something she didn’t have a name for. And it had been something that caused her to stay frozen in her spot.
Normally, the thought of a Cheerio fixing their sights on her would have sent Tina into a stuttering frenzy. But as she’d crouched by her textbook and the white shoe had given way to a shapely ankle, which then turned into a slender calf, Tina had been just speechless. She’d liked to have stayed down on the linoleum admiring the freshly shaven, milky white skin, but an impatient voice had pulled her back to the noisy hallway and the situation at hand.
“Hey! Stand up. Now.” The voice had been commanding, as if the speaker had expected Tina to obey.
And Tina had.
She had been too shocked, confused, and most importantly, amazed to refuse.
Tina quickly had pushed herself up and had been met by a vision that exploded before her eyes like a camera flash throwing everything into sharp, stark relief. And the light of that flash had been so powerful that it had been almost blinding in its beauty.
Quinn, evil, heinous, Quinn had been standing before her. Her bare arms had been crossed over her chest, and her foot still had been tap-tap-tapping away. The movement had been so forceful that it had been causing her perky, blonde ponytail to bounce around like a four-year-old hopped up on too much sugar. But even though Tina had been staring at a very angry Cheerio, all she could do had been to stand there feeling shocked and amazed.
The girl before her no longer had been Quinn Fabray, the hateful hag who had tortured her since first grade. No, she’d been someone, something else.
Something soft, and beautiful, and most importantly, feminine.
And as the rest of the scene - hallway, students and harried teachers had melted into a blur of white noise, Quinn had come into sharper focus. Her blonde hair had been shiny and looked as if it would be silky to the touch. And the picture, in its startling clarity, highlighted rosy cheeks and lips that shined with just a hint of gloss.
She had been light perfume and gentle curves.
Bare shoulders and fair skin.
Slender hips and petite breasts.
And as Tina had stared at Quinn, truly seeing her for the first time, she hadn’t been able to help but wonder what it might be like to run her fingers through Quinn’s blonde locks. Or what it would feel like to slide her hand around the other girl’s waist, the rough red fabric of her Cheerio uniform sliding under her fingertips.
But even though it had been Quinn’s face and form working its way through her thoughts, Tina had known that the way she was feeling had nothing to do with Quinn herself. Because to Tina, Quinn was nothing more than candy-coated evil.
What really mattered, what was really important, was that Quinn Fabray was a girl.
And Tina had never once felt that way about another girl before. At least not that she could remember, and Tina had been pretty sure she’d remember something like that. And now that the thoughts were in her mind, Tina had felt compelled to indulge them, to try and figure out what they meant. But Quinn’s taunting voice brought her back to the present.
“I bet you haven’t even kissed a boy, have you?” When Tina didn’t respond, Quinn smirked triumphantly. “Didn’t think so.” Not bothering to wait for a response, she turned on her heel and disappeared into a pack of cackling Cheerios who happened to be passing by.
Tina wanted to respond, because she had kissed a boy before. It was a year ago, and it had only been once. When it had happened, the boy had tired to grab her chest and butt (one hand for each) as he’d jammed his tongue down her throat. It had been awful. And in the end, Tina had managed to knee the guy in the groin and push him into a mud puddle before running home.
She hadn’t kissed a boy since, but Tina had simply thought it was because her first experience had been so traumatic. Never once did she think it had to do with boys vs. girls, shaved heads vs. ponytails.
But now… she wasn’t so sure.
If it hadn’t been for the obnoxious clanking of the bell, Tina might have stayed in her spot forever. But as the sound rang out, she finally realized how long she’d been standing in the hallway. More confused by Quinn than the chapter she’d been reading, Tina ran towards the bio room. There was no way she’d make it to class on time, and now, with visions of soft shoulders and glossy lips filling her head, there was no way she was going to pass her test. She could only hope that figuring out what her feelings meant would be easier than trying to understand photosynthesis.
The next day, when Tina saw the sign-up sheet for New Directions, she knew exactly which song she wanted to sing for her audition.
Squeeka Cuomo’s Notes
- This was originally written for story_lottery. The prompt I chose for “Tina & Quinn” was “a camera flash ”.
- Next up, by request is “Puck and Rachel” for boldlikeblack. :)
- Quack: You are an awesome red-pen-of-doom wielder. Thanks so much for your help!
- Reviews are love.
When We Touch
1: Kurt & Mercedes
Part: 2: Tina & Quinn
Author: Squeeka Cuomo
Rating: PG
Character(s)/Pairing(s): Tina C., Quinn Fabray
Author Notes: A series of one shots, this project was inspired by, and started for story_lottery.
Warning: N/A
Disclaimer: Not mine.
Summary: Random moments. Simple touches. Unforgettable encounters.
When We TouchTina & Quinn
“Hey! Watch it les-” Quinn stopped mid-word and snorted pointedly. Her eyes roved over a very disheveled Tina, obviously not liking what she was seeing. “Well, I was going to say lesbo, but aren’t you and that wheelchair kid, like, dating or whatever? I mean, you’re always pushing his chair around. That’s gotta be, what, first base with him?” The cheerleader chuckled at her own joke as she flipped her hair back. The sound was soft and amused, belying the true nature of her words, and Tina wasn’t fooled. She’d been tormented one too many times by Quinn Fabray to be tricked by the sweetness of her voice.
“Ar… Ar… Artie and I, we’re just-” Tina had been working on her stutter and it had gotten better over the past few months. But when she was stressed or upset, it always managed to come back to haunt her. And bumping into the Cheerio of Cheerios definitely counted as a stressful situation.
“Friends?” Quinn smiled knowingly. “I believe you. And because of that, I definitely think you’re gay.”
“I’m… I…” That time, Tina wasn’t stuttering. She just couldn’t bring herself to deny what Quinn was saying.
It wasn’t that Tina was gay. Or… at least, she didn’t think she was. But when she had bumped into Quinn, when their bodies had collided, all elbows and books, Tina had felt more pleasure than pain.
Right before Tina had slammed into Quinn, she’d been rushing down the overcrowded hall between fifth and sixth period. She’d been heading towards a huge biology test. When it had happened, her head had been bowed low over her textbook as she’d tried to cram a few last bits of vitally important information into memory.
One moment she’d been trying to copy and paste the finer points of photosynthesis into her brain, and the next her book had been crashing to the floor as she’d taken an elbow to the ribs. As Tina had let out an involuntary “oooof,” a shrill shriek had met her ears. The noise should have been able to shatter glass; it should have made Tina’s ears bleed, but it hadn’t. Sure, it had been annoying, but it also had been sweet, girly.
Trying to brush off how the noise had (or hadn’t) affected her, Tina had dropped to the floor to grab her book. (It would only have taken a few seconds for it to get swept away in a tidal wave of stomping feet.) But as she’d picked it up. Tina had noticed a pair of perfectly white sneakers, standing right before her, one foot tapping impatiently. And instantly, she’d frozen.
There was only one group of people in the whole school who was allowed to wear those particular shoes.
The Cheerios.
And making one of them mad was never a good thing.
But for some reason, as Tina had watched the rapidly tapping foot, what she felt hadn’t been fear. It had been something else, something she didn’t have a name for. And it had been something that caused her to stay frozen in her spot.
Normally, the thought of a Cheerio fixing their sights on her would have sent Tina into a stuttering frenzy. But as she’d crouched by her textbook and the white shoe had given way to a shapely ankle, which then turned into a slender calf, Tina had been just speechless. She’d liked to have stayed down on the linoleum admiring the freshly shaven, milky white skin, but an impatient voice had pulled her back to the noisy hallway and the situation at hand.
“Hey! Stand up. Now.” The voice had been commanding, as if the speaker had expected Tina to obey.
And Tina had.
She had been too shocked, confused, and most importantly, amazed to refuse.
Tina quickly had pushed herself up and had been met by a vision that exploded before her eyes like a camera flash throwing everything into sharp, stark relief. And the light of that flash had been so powerful that it had been almost blinding in its beauty.
Quinn, evil, heinous, Quinn had been standing before her. Her bare arms had been crossed over her chest, and her foot still had been tap-tap-tapping away. The movement had been so forceful that it had been causing her perky, blonde ponytail to bounce around like a four-year-old hopped up on too much sugar. But even though Tina had been staring at a very angry Cheerio, all she could do had been to stand there feeling shocked and amazed.
The girl before her no longer had been Quinn Fabray, the hateful hag who had tortured her since first grade. No, she’d been someone, something else.
Something soft, and beautiful, and most importantly, feminine.
And as the rest of the scene - hallway, students and harried teachers had melted into a blur of white noise, Quinn had come into sharper focus. Her blonde hair had been shiny and looked as if it would be silky to the touch. And the picture, in its startling clarity, highlighted rosy cheeks and lips that shined with just a hint of gloss.
She had been light perfume and gentle curves.
Bare shoulders and fair skin.
Slender hips and petite breasts.
And as Tina had stared at Quinn, truly seeing her for the first time, she hadn’t been able to help but wonder what it might be like to run her fingers through Quinn’s blonde locks. Or what it would feel like to slide her hand around the other girl’s waist, the rough red fabric of her Cheerio uniform sliding under her fingertips.
But even though it had been Quinn’s face and form working its way through her thoughts, Tina had known that the way she was feeling had nothing to do with Quinn herself. Because to Tina, Quinn was nothing more than candy-coated evil.
What really mattered, what was really important, was that Quinn Fabray was a girl.
And Tina had never once felt that way about another girl before. At least not that she could remember, and Tina had been pretty sure she’d remember something like that. And now that the thoughts were in her mind, Tina had felt compelled to indulge them, to try and figure out what they meant. But Quinn’s taunting voice brought her back to the present.
“I bet you haven’t even kissed a boy, have you?” When Tina didn’t respond, Quinn smirked triumphantly. “Didn’t think so.” Not bothering to wait for a response, she turned on her heel and disappeared into a pack of cackling Cheerios who happened to be passing by.
Tina wanted to respond, because she had kissed a boy before. It was a year ago, and it had only been once. When it had happened, the boy had tired to grab her chest and butt (one hand for each) as he’d jammed his tongue down her throat. It had been awful. And in the end, Tina had managed to knee the guy in the groin and push him into a mud puddle before running home.
She hadn’t kissed a boy since, but Tina had simply thought it was because her first experience had been so traumatic. Never once did she think it had to do with boys vs. girls, shaved heads vs. ponytails.
But now… she wasn’t so sure.
If it hadn’t been for the obnoxious clanking of the bell, Tina might have stayed in her spot forever. But as the sound rang out, she finally realized how long she’d been standing in the hallway. More confused by Quinn than the chapter she’d been reading, Tina ran towards the bio room. There was no way she’d make it to class on time, and now, with visions of soft shoulders and glossy lips filling her head, there was no way she was going to pass her test. She could only hope that figuring out what her feelings meant would be easier than trying to understand photosynthesis.
The next day, when Tina saw the sign-up sheet for New Directions, she knew exactly which song she wanted to sing for her audition.
Squeeka Cuomo’s Notes
- This was originally written for story_lottery. The prompt I chose for “Tina & Quinn” was “a camera flash ”.
- Next up, by request is “Puck and Rachel” for boldlikeblack. :)
- Quack: You are an awesome red-pen-of-doom wielder. Thanks so much for your help!
- Reviews are love.
When We Touch
1: Kurt & Mercedes