Pennies and Promises
"God, Q, we have got to stop!" Santana complains for the umpteenth time that night about their mandatory Cheerio's run.
Quinn smiles and finally slows to a walk. She was panting of course but could have kept going. It was surprising how little the other Cheerio could run.
"What's the matter?" Quinn says once her friend catches up. "Am I going too fast for you?"
"Shove it," Santana snaps. She wipes her grey WMHS hoodie sleeve across her forehead, wiping the sweat away.
"Well, it was at a good time anyways," Quinn explains. She points at the little playground they were approaching a couple miles out of Quinn's neighborhood.
"Oh no way," Santana breathes, remembering the playground. She turns then, off the sidewalk, Quinn following knowingly. It has been years since the two had gone there together. They weren't kids anymore and their friendship has been on the rocks since.
Santana is still breathing heavily when she moves into the playground. She reaches the play platforms, here dark eyes following the bridges and tunnels as though there were actual kids up their running now at 11 at night. Maybe she was just imaging the two of them long ago. Quinn smiles melancholically and looks to slides. She has a flashback of her own when Santana had accidentally pushed her off the side at the top, trying to get away from a boy who wanted to play 'Tag'. She was thankful it wasn't a big slide but it still hurt like hell when she landed on her side, the air in her lungs leaving her completely. She remembers beginning to cry when the boy landed beside her, on his back. Santana slid down soon after, sticking her tongue out at the boy. He got up crying and ran away. Santana had sat beside Quinn's little body and hugged her, apologizing and saying she pushed the boy off on purpose "for payback". They promised at that moment in time that they would never be mean to each other.
That promise didn't last.
Quinn is broken from her flashback when she senses Santana beside her. Looking an inch down at the slightly shorter girl, she sees those dark eyes flashing at her.
"Do you remember?" Santana asks sincerely.
Quinn nods. "I remember."
Santana nudges the blonde and gestures to the swings, a playful, suggestive smile on her full lips. They jog after them, Quinn jumping into the giant tire just before Santana could.
"Bitch!" Santana accuses lightheartedly. She seizes the side of the tire and twists it, spinning Quinn. She keeps it up, twining the chain, Quinn laughing at the wind whipping her short hair, until Santana lets go and the chains start to unravel, reversing the tire's spinning direction. Quinn's laughter spikes, echoing in the skeletal playground and continues up to when the tire swing finally stops spinning, jostling just lightly. When she tries to slink off the swing, she stumbles, her vision swaying frantically, still dizzy. Santana catches her, laughing. She guides her to the regular swings and sets her in one before sitting in the next one.
Quinn waits patiently for her head to stop reeling. She turns to Santana beside her, who now looks over the playground with a content expression and a stray smile.
"Penny for your thoughts?" Quinn chirps.
Santana snorts. "You would need a butt-load of pennies."
"A whole butt-load?"
"A fat man's butt-load."
The two girls burst into giggles. Santana sobers up a few moments later and actually replies.
"No, I was just… remembering."
"When we were kids?"
"Yeah," Santana admits, nodding gently. "When I would come to your house everyday and your mom would drive us out here, until we were old enough to ride our bikes here. How simple and easy everything was. How naïve we were to how the world really is and what it makes of you… I miss it."
Quinn hums in agreement, looking at her Nikes as they scuffed the grass. These were the kinds of conversations with Santana she missed the most.
"We need to come here more often."
Quinn looks up. Santana turns to lock eyes with her and reaches out. Their hands find each other and intertwine fingers, hanging between their respective swings.
"We really do," Quinn affirms, joining Santana in staring back at their childhood.
A/N: Jus thought of this the other night because I get random Quinntana feels. I love them together and I bet they have secret sweet lady kisses. c: