titanium - glee

ten ; chosen by fate

"Ballad. From Middle English, balade. Who knows what this word means?" Mr. Schue asked. Rosy was sitting beside Puck, a marker in hand as they played tic tac toe on his jeans, neither of them really listening to Mr. Schue. He continued to talk and they continued their very heated yet silent game of tic tac toe, tuning him out.

"Stories and music are the way we express feelings that we can't get out any other way-"

"Yes, I won!" Rosy yelled, standing up and pumping her fist in the air. She blushed when they all turned to look at her, Puck smirking and Mr. Schue with an annoyed look on his face. "Sorry. Continue." She said, quickly sitting down again.

"Okay, now sectionals are in a few weeks and there's a new rule this year, we have to perform...a ballad." Mr. Schue said, pointing at the board.

"Looks like my weekly letter to the Ohio Show Choir Committee finally paid off!" Rachel said and Puck and Rosy, who had hidden her face in Puck's shoulder out of embarrasment, both nodded and smiled with her.

"Okay. So here's our assignment for the week, I'm going to pair you off, and I want you to pick a ballad to sing to your partner. Look them right in the eye, find the emotion you want to express, and make them feel it." Mr. Schue said and Puck and Rosy exchanged a glance that came with the unspoken agreement that they would be partners.

"I pick Quinn," Finn said and Rosy squeezed Puck's knee.

"No, no, no. Too easy. Your partners will be chosen by fate." Mr. Schue said and they all quietly said 'ooh'. "Ooh, yeah. I put all your names in this hat. Whoever you choose is your partner." Rosy groaned and hid her face in Puck's shoulder again. Fate didn't like her all that much so she would probably be stuck with a terrible partner. Not that she didn't love everyone in Glee Club, she did, but there were some people who she would rather die than sing in front of. Like Mike. Too many feelings, too embarrassing. Hopefully, she would get Puck or Rachel or Finn as her partner. Puck went up first to choose and they all did a drum roll on their knees.

"Mercedes." Puck said and Rosy sighed, before standing up to pick next. Please don't be Mike, anyone but Mike. Even Quinn. Or Santana. Just not Mike. Rosy felt around the hat before randomly picking a random slip of paper. Please, please, please.

"Mike." She read out and everyone laughed as she forced herself to smile at Mike, who smiled back shyly. Once she sat back down, she sunk against Puck's shoulder again.

"Now's your chance to finally sing a love song to Chang." Puck whispered to her and she pinched his shoulder, smirking when he let out a small yelp.

"I'm not going to be singing at him, I'm going to be singing with him." Rosy corrected. "This is going to be a disaster."

"Come on, it's not going to be that bad." Puck assured her and she gave him a look. "I promise I will not let anything horrible happen, I got your back, Moons." Puck promised before holding out his fist for her to bump.

"You know I hate that unoriginal nickname and there's no way I'm fist-bumping you." She said and he just smirked at her.

"Come on."

"No."

"Okay."

"Fine." She said after a beat and he smirked at her as they bumped fists. "I hate you."

Your partners will be chosen by fate. Well, screw you 'fate'.

｡.☆.｡

Rosy and Mike met up in the choir room the next day, Rosy seated on the piano bench and Mike on top of the shiny lid, sitting in an awkward silence.