Fic: Brittany, Tina & Mike
A little bit of Brittany's side to this story. Featuring Tina and Mike.
Once Rachel had concluded their meeting, Tina’s mind was left reeling. She tried to say something, but Rachel and Quinn had already left. Only Brittany was still there, absently putting a binder into her bookbag and humming “Slave 4 U.” “Hey. Brittany?” Tina tried again, and the other girl looked up. “You’re really dating Artie?”
“I told you. Deal with it,” Brittany said, not very much conviction in her voice. The mean girl act just didn’t fit her, Tina decided. Especially without Santana by her side.
“No, I mean, I don’t have a problem with it,” Tina insisted, chasing her as she quickly left the choir room.
“Then why do you keep asking me?” Brittany demanded, clearly troubled.
“Well, I just… Artie’s… I mean,” Tina fumbled. “What about Santana?” she finally asked, and Brittany stopped stock still in front of her.
“Santana likes Artie?” Brittany whispered, so heartbroken that Tina almost hugged her right there in the hallway.
“No, Brittany,” she said gently, turning the other girl to face her. “Santana likes you.”
Tina was almost certain of that. At first, when the two had joined glee club, they’d just seemed like super close friends, but years of never being noticed had made Tina good at observing people. And it soon became impossible not to see that Santana Lopez was head over heels in love with her best friend, whatever she might say to the contrary.
But Brittany scowled, fighting back tears, and shook her head. “Santana doesn’t… She said… She wouldn’t sing a duet with me,” she mumbled, and Tina was horrified to see tears actually begin to fall down her cheeks.
“I’m sorry, Britt. I’m sorry,” she said, taking her arm. “Come on.” She led Brittany down the hall toward the dance studio, and quickly texted Mike to come meet them.
She might not know what, exactly, to say to Brittany, but if anyone would-other than Santana, obviously-it was Mike.
Mike showed up at the studio only about thirty seconds after they did, and the words, “What’s up?” were on his lips, but he took one look at Brittany, dropped his backpack, and expertly twirled her into his arms.
“Right now is not the time for crying,” he insisted with a grin, and he led her in a waltz across the room, which got her laughing quite quickly.
Tina smiled and watched them dance until Mike grabbed her arm and pulled her to Brittany. “Your turn to lead,” he said, and Brittany smiled and danced Tina up and down the studio, leaving them both breathless and grinning.
“Now, Britt,” Mike said, sitting down cross-legged by the mirrors, “what’s up?”
She came and sat with him, pulling Tina with her, and sighed. “Santana,” she said quietly, and Mike put his hand on her back.
Over her head, he gave Tina a look that clearly said, “Girl problems? Thanks,” but he grinned a quick grin after that, and Tina smiled and bumped his shoulder.
“Santana’s…confusing, huh?” Mike said, and Brittany nodded. “What’s going on now?”
“Well, I…” Brittany shrugged. “She didn’t want to sing a duet with me, so I wanted to make her jealous, and I don’t think it worked, and Artie was really mean to me, but then he said he was sorry and really would like me to be his girlfriend, and I’ve never been someone’s girlfriend before. It’s nice.” She shrugged again and stared at the floor.
Mike and Tina shared another look, both slightly baffled to hear Brittany say so much all at once. “So you asked Santana to sing a duet with you?” Mike asked, trying to backtrack, and Brittany nodded.
“’Come to My Window.’ By Melissa Etheridge. And then she said she wasn’t making out with me because she was in love with me, but I didn’t say anything about that, and then she left.”
Tina and Mike heaved an identical sigh. This was not exactly what either one of them had been expecting.
An hour later, Tina and Mike were exhausted, but Brittany was strangely cheerful, and she kissed both of them as they left the dance studio. “Did we help?” Tina asked, befuddled.
Mike shrugged. “She’s not crying now. Maybe we should see how Santana is these days.”
“Crankier than usual, that’s for sure. I think she is jealous of Artie.”
“Me too,” Mike sighed. “What’s she so afraid of?”
“I don’t think Santana likes people to know she cares about things.”
“But we already know she cares about Brittany.”
“I know! She’s so obvious.”
“She really is.”
“So if we tell her we already know…”
“She’ll kill us.”
They tried anyway. For two weeks or so, they both watched Santana, who spent a lot of time watching Brittany and then pretending she wasn’t watching Brittany. But they never figured out how to approach her.
“This is depressing,” Tina sighed at lunch one day.
Mike nodded and gave her half of his sandwich. She sent back half of hers. “You know, I’ve been thinking. We saw Matt on Friday at the game. I bet she misses him.”
“She was friends with Matt?” Tina asked, frowning.
“Yeah, they were really close. But Santana keeps to herself.”
“Right. You’ve known her for a while, right?” she asked, turning to look at him.
“I had a crush on her for a while,” he admitted, smiling shyly, and Tina laughed, pushing his hair back from his forehead. “But I was always…intimidated. Plus, she was always, always with Brittany.”
“Hi, guys,” Brittany said suddenly, plunking down across the table from Tina.
“Hey, Britt,” Mike said cheerfully, and gave her half of his half of Tina’s sandwich.
“Hi, Brittany,” Tina said, and Brittany smiled at her.
She didn’t say anything else, but she seemed content to share sandwiches and listen to Mike and Tina wonder whether what Kurt had planned for the wedding was the cheesiest thing in the world or not. After lunch, she walked with them to their math class, then smiled, fist-bumped Mike, and kissed Tina and headed across the hall to her own math class.
“She’s… It’s really weird, seeing her without Santana,” Tina sighed, and all Mike could do was nod.
Once Rachel had concluded their meeting, Tina’s mind was left reeling. She tried to say something, but Rachel and Quinn had already left. Only Brittany was still there, absently putting a binder into her bookbag and humming “Slave 4 U.” “Hey. Brittany?” Tina tried again, and the other girl looked up. “You’re really dating Artie?”
“I told you. Deal with it,” Brittany said, not very much conviction in her voice. The mean girl act just didn’t fit her, Tina decided. Especially without Santana by her side.
“No, I mean, I don’t have a problem with it,” Tina insisted, chasing her as she quickly left the choir room.
“Then why do you keep asking me?” Brittany demanded, clearly troubled.
“Well, I just… Artie’s… I mean,” Tina fumbled. “What about Santana?” she finally asked, and Brittany stopped stock still in front of her.
“Santana likes Artie?” Brittany whispered, so heartbroken that Tina almost hugged her right there in the hallway.
“No, Brittany,” she said gently, turning the other girl to face her. “Santana likes you.”
Tina was almost certain of that. At first, when the two had joined glee club, they’d just seemed like super close friends, but years of never being noticed had made Tina good at observing people. And it soon became impossible not to see that Santana Lopez was head over heels in love with her best friend, whatever she might say to the contrary.
But Brittany scowled, fighting back tears, and shook her head. “Santana doesn’t… She said… She wouldn’t sing a duet with me,” she mumbled, and Tina was horrified to see tears actually begin to fall down her cheeks.
“I’m sorry, Britt. I’m sorry,” she said, taking her arm. “Come on.” She led Brittany down the hall toward the dance studio, and quickly texted Mike to come meet them.
She might not know what, exactly, to say to Brittany, but if anyone would-other than Santana, obviously-it was Mike.
Mike showed up at the studio only about thirty seconds after they did, and the words, “What’s up?” were on his lips, but he took one look at Brittany, dropped his backpack, and expertly twirled her into his arms.
“Right now is not the time for crying,” he insisted with a grin, and he led her in a waltz across the room, which got her laughing quite quickly.
Tina smiled and watched them dance until Mike grabbed her arm and pulled her to Brittany. “Your turn to lead,” he said, and Brittany smiled and danced Tina up and down the studio, leaving them both breathless and grinning.
“Now, Britt,” Mike said, sitting down cross-legged by the mirrors, “what’s up?”
She came and sat with him, pulling Tina with her, and sighed. “Santana,” she said quietly, and Mike put his hand on her back.
Over her head, he gave Tina a look that clearly said, “Girl problems? Thanks,” but he grinned a quick grin after that, and Tina smiled and bumped his shoulder.
“Santana’s…confusing, huh?” Mike said, and Brittany nodded. “What’s going on now?”
“Well, I…” Brittany shrugged. “She didn’t want to sing a duet with me, so I wanted to make her jealous, and I don’t think it worked, and Artie was really mean to me, but then he said he was sorry and really would like me to be his girlfriend, and I’ve never been someone’s girlfriend before. It’s nice.” She shrugged again and stared at the floor.
Mike and Tina shared another look, both slightly baffled to hear Brittany say so much all at once. “So you asked Santana to sing a duet with you?” Mike asked, trying to backtrack, and Brittany nodded.
“’Come to My Window.’ By Melissa Etheridge. And then she said she wasn’t making out with me because she was in love with me, but I didn’t say anything about that, and then she left.”
Tina and Mike heaved an identical sigh. This was not exactly what either one of them had been expecting.
An hour later, Tina and Mike were exhausted, but Brittany was strangely cheerful, and she kissed both of them as they left the dance studio. “Did we help?” Tina asked, befuddled.
Mike shrugged. “She’s not crying now. Maybe we should see how Santana is these days.”
“Crankier than usual, that’s for sure. I think she is jealous of Artie.”
“Me too,” Mike sighed. “What’s she so afraid of?”
“I don’t think Santana likes people to know she cares about things.”
“But we already know she cares about Brittany.”
“I know! She’s so obvious.”
“She really is.”
“So if we tell her we already know…”
“She’ll kill us.”
They tried anyway. For two weeks or so, they both watched Santana, who spent a lot of time watching Brittany and then pretending she wasn’t watching Brittany. But they never figured out how to approach her.
“This is depressing,” Tina sighed at lunch one day.
Mike nodded and gave her half of his sandwich. She sent back half of hers. “You know, I’ve been thinking. We saw Matt on Friday at the game. I bet she misses him.”
“She was friends with Matt?” Tina asked, frowning.
“Yeah, they were really close. But Santana keeps to herself.”
“Right. You’ve known her for a while, right?” she asked, turning to look at him.
“I had a crush on her for a while,” he admitted, smiling shyly, and Tina laughed, pushing his hair back from his forehead. “But I was always…intimidated. Plus, she was always, always with Brittany.”
“Hi, guys,” Brittany said suddenly, plunking down across the table from Tina.
“Hey, Britt,” Mike said cheerfully, and gave her half of his half of Tina’s sandwich.
“Hi, Brittany,” Tina said, and Brittany smiled at her.
She didn’t say anything else, but she seemed content to share sandwiches and listen to Mike and Tina wonder whether what Kurt had planned for the wedding was the cheesiest thing in the world or not. After lunch, she walked with them to their math class, then smiled, fist-bumped Mike, and kissed Tina and headed across the hall to her own math class.
“She’s… It’s really weird, seeing her without Santana,” Tina sighed, and all Mike could do was nod.