Disclaimer: I do not own Glee.
"I can't take this much longer," Kurt whispered from where he was laid out on the couch, hands over his ears, "I want to slit my wrists from listening to all the desperation and hopelessness in this apartment."
Rachel glanced around furtively to ensure they couldn't be heard. When she was certain that their third roommate was too busy wallowing in her curtailed corner of the house, she considered it safe to continue the conversation, "She's playing Kodaline so much that I'm finding it hard to complete my morning vocal scales. All my major scales end up being sung in the minor," she stared down forlornly at the mug of coffee cupped between her cold hands.
New York's winter was especially cold this year and while the heater was turned on, the building's heating system was too run-down to fight the bitter cold.
"You might think you found the one. Until your heart gets ripped and torn," a husky voice bleated weakly from Santana' room in unison with the heartbreaking music blasting from the stereo.
They both looked at each other and groaned.
"Do something! It's been three days!" Kurt hissed, sitting up suddenly, "It's Christmas eve, not Halloween! We should be singing about reindeers and prancing ponies!"
"YOU do something!" Rachel shot back as she cast a frightened look to Santana's room, recalling the one time she had tried to offer her friend comfort only for it to end in near-violence, "I'm not risking my vocal chords to do something Santana is not going to appreciate."
Kurt rolled his eyes then slumped back down onto the couch, "She won't actually rip out your throat. It was just a threat."
Rachel sniffed indignantly, "Well the threat works, okay? Snix is very real and very scary."
Kurt opened his mouth but is interrupted by a tuneful sob.
"The loneliness is 'hic' worst of all. When you've got no one 'hic' else to call. Feeling kind of sad 'hic' when the times are bad, the times are 'hic' getting bad."
"Is she drunk?" Rachel squinted at the clock on the kitchen wall, "At eight in the morning?"
The sudden burst of hysterical laughter confirmed her suspicion.
"What are we even doing up at eight in the morning on Christmas Eve?" Kurt moaned, covering his face with a cushion.
With a mournful face, Rachel turned to face him from where she was seated in the kitchen, "Actually, I don't think I even slept at all with the stereo blasting all through the night. Yesterday was the worst."
She looked over to Santana's room thoughtfully, "Do you think she has actually been drinking all night?"
Kurt snapped his head to look at Rachel in alarm, "Okay that's enough!" he declared, tossing the cushion to the side, "I've had it with Santana wallowing in self-pity. She needs to know that even though Brittany has broken things with her, it's not the end of the world," he moved off the sofa and strode across the living room, ignoring Rachel's wide-eyed pleas and headshakes.
If he had paused a moment to think, he would have remembered that it was precisely because of the supposed end of the world that Santana was in the miserable condition she was in.
Not a minute later, Kurt's high-pitched scream rang out and he scrambled out of Santana's room, his usually impeccable hair mussed up and dragged out on one side.
"AND STAY OUT 'hic' OR I WILL EAT YOUR PORCE-'hic'-LAIN FACE!"
"That doesn't even make sense!" he squealed, patting his hair frantically to check if his crazy roommate had managed to cause permanent damage, "She pulled my hair!" he mouthed to Rachel.
"And could you 'hic' draw the curtains please! " Santana whined before letting out a very audible, very gross burp.
Still traumatized, Kurt did not hesitate to carry out the order. After he had returned the curtains to its drawn position, he walked over to the kitchen table in a daze, where Rachel was trying hard to conceal an all-knowing smirk.
After she had deliberately looked at him and clinked her spoon against the mug for the third time, Kurt finally snapped, "Oh spill it out already!"
"I told you so!" Rachel breathed out happily before draining the rest of her coffee, "Didn't I tell you? Snix is very real and very evil."
"There has to be a way," Kurt buried his hands in his hair. It was already messed up anyway.
In the quiet of the apartment, Steve Garrigan told them how big and bad the world was and Santana sang in agreement. Santa Claus would be horrified.
"I have an idea," Rachel said suddenly after spending five minutes deep in thought.
Kurt perked up immediately at the confidence in her voice, "Hear hear!"
"I think it's time to bring in reinforcements," Rachel smacked her knuckles against her palm for effect. "And I know only one person brave enough to handle Snix. Well, two actually but considering that Brittany is now out of the question, the only person we can enlist is.."
"Just call Quinn already!" Kurt threw up his hands, cutting Rachel off before she could go on and on and on as he knew she was apt to do.
She looked at him affronted but he knew it was only because he had stolen her thunder. Though she gave him the stink eye when he gestured at the phone, she still reached for the device and punched in the numbers that would hopefully bring about their saviour.
"Hello Quinn, we have a crisis."
Quinn agreed to take the next train out from New Haven to New York. Her exams and the after-exam parties were finally over, and she needed an excuse to put off packing anyway. Not to mention, she might or might not have been the cause of Kurt's and Rachel's misery. After all, she had been the one to introduce Kodaline to Santana.
She heard the familiar guitar riffs of "All I Want" three steps before she had reached the door and grimaced. This was going to be harder than she thought. Perhaps packing would have been preferred to this monstrous task she had agreed to undertake.
It took five raps against the door (and some bruised knuckles) and two phone calls to Rachel before the door was finally opened. Apparently, the music had drowned out the sound of her knocking.
"Quinn!" Rachel exclaimed in relief the moment she flung open the door. She threw her petite body against Quinn's and crushed her into an overly enthusiastic hug, "Our hero!"
It was only when Quinn felt the tickle under her nose that she realised Rachel had her earmuffs on. Really fluffy, painfully pink ones. She needn't asked what it was for but it was certainly hideous.
"Quinn," Kurt nodded from behind Rachel, "Still as gorgeous as before. I see New Haven suits you well."
Bodily removing Rachel from the hug, he pulled Quinn into a friendly embrace. They hadn't been close in high school but there was something about distance and surviving in a foreign place that pulled old acquaintances together. As for Rachel, they had kept their high school promise of keeping in touch.
"It's nice to see you too, Kurt," Quinn replied, ever polite to a fault, "She's had the album on loop since last week?" she dropped her overnight bag on the floor and stretched to relieve the kinks in her back. The train ride hadn't been long but ever since her unfortunate accident in junior year, Quinn found that her back stiffened up much too quickly for her liking.
"No, just the sad ones," Kurt wrung his hands, the way he did when he wants to help but didn't know where to start, "She's started drinking like a sailor too."
"And it's only eleven," Quinn commented, looking unimpressed, "Pathetic."
Without another word, she marched over to Santana's room and yanked the curtains to the side. Kurt and Rachel tagged closely behind her like two puppies, eager but still hesitant for fear of bloodshed. Though Quinn and Santana were two parts of the Unholy Trinity and by connection best friends, their history was rocky to say the least. At times, they acted like best buds but other times, they slapped the hell out of each other. It was therefore fair to say that Kurt and Rachel did not know what to expect.
Apart from the empty alcohol bottles on the floor, Santana's room was surprisingly neat. Laid out on her back, she was trying to get the last few drops of tequila out of the bottle by shaking it repeatedly over her opened mouth. Kurt thought it was only a matter of time before she bonked her face with it and gave herself an accidental concussion (and possible facial scar). Both concerned for his well being (he was certain Santana would find a way to place the blame on Rachel and him if she ended up hurting herself) and for Santana's safety, he bravely moved out from behind Quinn with the intention of removing the hazardous object from her hands. But before he could reach the bed, Santana caught him out of the corner of her eyes and sat up on her knees, bottle pointed at Kurt.
"Don't hurt me!" he screamed and jumped back, hoping that the adage 'out of sight, out of mind' was a hundred percent truth.
Santana's body swayed with the effort of staying upright and Quinn was glad the bottle was more or less empty. She did not want to be changing sheets after having travelled for two hours, "I SAID STAY OUT 'hic' oh you've fixed your hair!" she observed correctly through narrowed, unfocused eyes, "I thought I pulled harder."
Obviously disappointed with herself, she flopped back onto her bed and tossed the bottle to the floor. Kurt did not want to know what that statement meant. Nevertheless, his hand reached up to his hair. Just to check. You could never be too sure with Santana.
"I thought I pulled harder," she mumbled to herself again before bursting out into another song, "High hopes, oh, when it all comes to an end. Now the world keeps spinning. Yeah, the world keeps spinning around." she crooned with her eyes closed and that's when Quinn decided she had had it. That song really was her least favourite in the album.
Behind her, Rachel was whispering rapidly into Kurt's ear, "Do you think we should tell Santana her world is spinning because she's drunk? Alcohol interferes with the coordination of motor movement and balance, which explains why.."
"Rachel," Quinn warned, which immediately shut Rachel up. She strode to the stereo in three big steps and turned it off.
"HEY! I WAS SINGING!" Santana straightened up once more. Her head lolled forward and she fell asleep for approximately three seconds. Both Kurt and Rachel surged forward to catch the falling body but Santana woke up in time to regain control of her body, "QUINN! You're here!" She noticed for the first time and a wide smile spread across her flushed face, "You didn't say you were coming. I would have picked you up from the train station," she slurred.
Quinn rolled her eyes but can't help feeling a little flattered that Santana looked so happy to see her. They had had their ups and downs in high school, but Quinn liked to think that they had moved past it. After all, they still kept in touch despite being in different states.
Still, she prepared to say something scathing (because that's just their thing) when her eyes landed on Santana's opened laptop. A Facebook photo of Sam and Brittany looking ostentatiously happy stared right back at her. In the photo, Brittany was kissing Sam's cheek and they were each cuddling a very fat cat. Across the bottom, she could make out some words. "Whaddup homies? Mah nuuuu Mayan star wife 3 3 xoxoxoxoxo"
What even?
She looked to Kurt and Rachel for explanation but when they saw what had piqued her interest, their eyes widened and they shook their heads furiously, fingers on lips.
Okaaaayyy, so that was the trigger and they were not to speak of it in front of Santana, she deduced. Perhaps, it was time to set up a Facebook account for herself. Before she could reach a decision on her next step, Santana chirped happily from the bed, "Drink with me!"
To prove her sincerity, she even went so far as to get off the bed and made a grab for Quinn, swaying precariously on her feet, "Those two are no fun," she pointed at her two roommates and grimaced in disapproval, "Rachel just falls asleep and Kurt just wants to make out with everyone with his toothless gums," she pouted and Quinn really wanted to either give her a pat on the head or a hug.
As annoying and abrasive as Santana could be when she is drunk (even more so than when she was sober), she also had the potential to be really pleasant and adorable after she had gone past the weepy and angry stages, if you knew the right words to say that is.
"Okay," she gripped Santana's arm firmly and guided her to the bed.
"Okay? You can't possibly think…" Kurt squeaked out at the same time Rachel protested, "Quinn! You can't be serious about…"
And those were the wrong words.
"But I want Quinn to drink with me!" Santana cried, looking absolutely heartbroken, "Why are you two being so mean!" the sorrow turned to anger and she pushed Quinn away, "You didn't come to hang out, did you? You just want to come laugh at me and make fun of me and tell me that Brittany chose stupid trouty mouth over me because I'm a Lima loser!"
While Santana ranted on, Quinn made sure to shoot both Kurt and Rachel a withering glare. She had it all under control and the two big mouths… she wanted laser eyes. Yes, laser eyes should do a good job of blasting them both into Kurt and Rachel smithereens. Oh. But would the tiny pieces talk? Because she didn't think she could take a million of little Kurt and Rachel yapping and Santana would kill her if they could talk because she had to live with them and oh right, she had to handle Santana.
"….and you're thinking it's because she isn't blonde," Santana sniffed, angrily wiping snot and tears from her face with the back of her hand, "Maybe I should dye my hair blonde?" she turned to Quinn for advice and Quinn is quick to snap back to attention.
"Yes, I think that's a good id….."
"Stop patronizing me!" Santana bawled, fists clenched over her covers and legs flailing, "You're just saying that to make me happy."
"Sweetie, I'm not!" she glared at Kurt and Rachel to help her and thankfully, they did.
"Yeah, I think we should definitely rule out platinum blonde. Strawberry blonde should probably work though," Kurt stepped forward cautiously, "I think we may need a few coats though since your hair is so dark."
"I think strawberry blonde is good," Rachel added, her eyes darting to Quinn to ensure she was saying the right thing, "The shop down the block is selling it at half price."
Santana pondered for a moment and finally nodded, "Okay."
They all let out quiet sighs of relief.
"Okay, so how about I go buy the tequila and the hair dye, while you wait here in your bed?"
"Okay," Santana said again with a little snuffle and Quinn managed to get her under the covers without any struggle. She made to leave but to her horror and her surprise that she was actually pleasantly surprised, Santana puckered up her lips at the last second, "Kiss," she muttered sleepily.
Quinn stiffened and looked to Kurt and Rachel for help but all they did was wave frenetically, afraid that their roommate would set off again.
Swallowing nervously, Quinn leaned forward to place a chaste peck on her best friend's lips, "Good night," she said but Santana was already half-asleep.
Leaving the room with a blush and a slight smile, she brushed her lips with her fingers. It wasn't pleasant considering the snot and the tears (that was gross), but it wasn't completely unpleasant either. She could even say that maybe, just maybe there was a little tingle. A tiny tingle. And maybe, just maybe despite her exhaustion, she felt a little happy. More than a tiny bit happy.
Speaking of happy, Rachel and Kurt were sure twittering happily behind her.
"Will you guys keep it down?" Quinn chided, plopping down onto the couch, "I know she sleeps like a baby but still…"
Rachel hopped down next to her, hands clapped together in excitement, "Thank you Quinn! Thank you, thank you, thank you! We've not had a moment of peace for days! And may I just say how you two were so cute together when you kissed…"
"You will forget that happened. The both of you," Quinn shifted her pointed finger from Rachel to Kurt.
"But…"
Though Rachel flapped in protest, Kurt showed some sign of intelligence, "What happened?" he cut in smoothly, face smooth and blank, "I don't know what you're talking about?"
"Oh alright!" Rachel grumped out and Quinn smiled in triumph.
As the conversation steered towards a different topic, Quinn lazily took in the loft. She had been there once, to help with Santana's move from Louisville to New York but there had been a few changes since then. A picture on the wall cuaght her eyes. It was taken during their freshman year, after they had won their first Nationals and right before Quinn was made captain of the Cheerios. Brittany had not been in McKinley then.
The photograph was of just the two of them. Quinn was grinning at the camera with Santana pressed close to her side, equally elated. Smiling at the picture, Quinn can't help but echo Rachel's observation.
A/N: Songs that Santana sings, all by Kodaline:
1. The Answer
2. Big Bad World
3. High Hopes
I really do love Kodaline! Review and comment please!