Summary: Brittany hosts a Christmas themed party for some of the cheerleaders, football players, and invites the Glee club. It would be like any other party if Brittany's Christmas gift wasn't so personal. Santana combats conflicting emotions throughout the night.
Warnings: Angst. Highschool. Season 2ish with some liberties (forgive me if the time lines don't all add up exactly, this is my first time writing pre-Brittana dating). Sneaky Brittany. Pining/conflicted Santana. Brittany kisses just about everyone. T. (This is also my first time not writing M and it was really fucking hard, how do you people do it?!).
It gets fluffier by the end. :)
I have a few other Christmas stories started, but graduating required some extra effort so I don't know if or when I will be finishing them and posting. Sorry! :(
Mistletoe
"Thanks again for coming over to help, Santana. I was going to ask my parents to help with the kegs and the extra cups and supplies, but Lord Tubbington said it was best if we kept them out of our party planning." Brittany opened the front door for Santana while explaining the entire situation to her and the reasons why she called Santana over.
Not that Brittany ever needed an excuse to ask for Santana's help.
Santana wouldn't have cared.
But she stood outside the door shivering in the cold Ohio air. She nodded vigorously to everything Brittany said. She didn't give one fuck about what Lard Tubbers had suggested for the big Christmas bash; she wanted to get the fuck inside the house. "Right LT would definitely know the best ways to get away with a party." Freezing, she peeked around Brittany into the house, fearful Mr. and Mrs. Pierce were still around and that was the hold up for entering the warmth. All that occupied the house was decorations, tangled garland, and ceramic penguin statues that could have belonged to either Mrs. Pierce or her daughter. "B, are you gonna let me in or what? I might turn into a popsicle if I stay out here any longer."
Brittany stopped talking, but didn't pull back to give Santana enough room to enter. Instead the blonde hesitated. Her bright blue eyes went down Santana's outfit. Recently, Santana had started to wear these striped tight fitting short dresses to every occasion. For the party, the red and white stripes around her body made her look like a candy cane. Brittany had always liked candy canes. Her dark hair contrasted against her white coat. Brittany smirked when she noticed the reindeer earrings hidden in waves of dark.
"B?" Santana's voice edged when Britt neither responded nor moved. Brittany's eyes had never been bashful for as long as they had been friends, but recently, Santana had been noticing the length and measure of each gaze. And despite her resolve to ignore each second of Brittany's unabashed attention, internally those seconds counted time between her heart beats. Britt's tongue rimmed the outside of her lips. Santana flushed and bit the inside of her cheek. A fleeting thought hid tucked between the "reasons" the cold suddenly didn't affect her the same way.
Her coat felt stifling.
Candy canes were Britt's favorite - peppermint. Brittany liked the way mint tickled her mouth and even more when she kissed someone chewing gum. Santana remembered the first time Brittany had asked for her gum. Britt didn't care that Santana had started chewing the last piece. She took it right from her mouth as if it was the most natural thing to share gum. Every few seconds, Britt insisted they exchange the single piece so they could share the minty flavor. At one point, Santana's favorite point, they had simply forgotten to switch the gum when their mouths connected. Instead of Wrigley's winterfresh flavored gum, it had been Brittany's tongue pushing between her lips. They spent two hours sharing that one piece of gum and ran twelve miles on the track as punishment for tardiness to Cheerios practice. Twelve miles they spent in silence. Twelve miles with winterfresh on her lips. Twelve miles she couldn't stop wondering if Brittany could taste winterfresh on her own lips.
Those bright blue eyes raked up and down Santana's candy cane striping.
For a brief second of weakness, Santana allowed herself to imagine Britt wanting a taste.
A shiver that had nothing to do with the frigid air went down her body. Santana clenched her legs together. It took all of her will power to lock away those desperate thoughts. More than anything, she needed those clear blue eyes off her right away. Trying to break her best friend's stare, Santana whined and shook harder, as if it was the cold and not what Brittany's eyes were doing that was reason for her uncontrollable shivering. "Come on, Britt! Let me in!"
Again, Brittany hesitated, internally musing over a choice unbeknownst to Santana. Her eyes drifted from Santana and then travelled upward.
Used to Brittany's quirks, Santana didn't really pay much attention to the direction Brittany's eyes wandered. Mostly, she was grateful to get a reprieve from her blonde counterpart. The lines between them seemed to be in a constant state of flux. Santana didn't know what was happening and she didn't need Brittany to continue to blur their relationship. Their situation was already fucked up enough.
Whatever the fuck "their situation" meant.
Sometimes she wished they could go back to the way it was before - before she blew Brittany off after she asked about a relationship with feelings - before Brittany asked her to open up - before she started to realize whatever she was feeling wasn't just friendship - before everything. It had been simple and they could just pretend nothing was happening. If she was being honest, all their problems started when they joined glee club and Brittany started dating Artie. After that, nothing had been the same.
Now it was all...
Her stomach flipped as Britt made just enough space to squeeze through the doorway, but not enough to avoid contact. Again, her cheeks flushed and her body heated. She was acting stupid. For her part, Brittany feigned innocence like she had no idea what effect she had on Santana. Santana didn't know what to believe anymore.
...it was all blurry.
"What do you need?" Santana stepped into the Pierce living room. Decorations were scattered about and everything was out of order.
"Help?" Britt closed the front door with a shrug and a smile.
Like it would be that easy? Santana rolled her eyes around the house again.
Little did she know, Brittany's eyes never left her backside. Her mouth parted, but any words she wanted to say remained suspended in the imperceptible space between her lips. They lingered, but never exited. Santana picked up the closest penguin statue, the length of garland, and the wreath from the sofa. Brittany's stomach clenched and her throat closed. It should be easy. Brittany imagined picking up the phone, cancelling the Christmas party. She would turn Santana around; slowly, Brittany would play with the hair in her face and brush her cheek. Without hesitation, Brittany would kiss Santana the way they both wanted to spend the holidays.
But, Santana was anything but easy.
She was stubborn and floundering and they had both done some things they regretted.
Santana picked up a stocking and turned around ready to question why Brittany was just standing there. Her dark eyes searched, but she said nothing. She must have seen something in those blue eyes.
Caught, Brittany quickly closed her lips and trapped every thought and wish she secretly harbored. They stuck and settled uneasily in the left side of her chest. They ached for release. She had held them there for so long, but it wasn't the right time. Britt mustered a smile and picked up the matching stocking. Britt quickly recovered and explained. "I was going to see if Lord Tubbington wanted an outfit for the night. The first stocking over fit over his hind legs so I was going to cut a hole and put the other one on his head."
"Of course you were." Santana rolled her eyes, but couldn't stop the smile on her face. Even when everything was confusing.
Santana worked fast and efficient. Garland trimmed every mantle and hung over the doorway from the kitchen to the living room. The mini Christmas tree with the LED blue lights had its own space in the corner next to the television. The penguin statues had been tucked away in a safe place in cupboards where Santana was sure they wouldn't be used as footballs. The wreath tied with a red bow had been hung on the door. Years spent hosting parties under her parents' noses had helped her to hone her homemaker skills in mostly productive ways. Her white peacoat draped over Brittany's on the coat rack by the door. She kicked her heels off to walk around the house faster and she had opted to pull her hair back in a ponytail. Obviously, she would have to use Brittany's bathroom to freshen up before the party.
After all the cleaning and decorating, Santana stood back with her hands on her hips. The Pierce household looked like it could be in one of those ridiculous House Keeping magazines for Christmas. Too bad in a few minutes, the McKinley High School football and cheerleading squads would show up and wreck all of her hard work. She shrugged. Oh well. It was worth it.
"Britt, I'm going to head upstairs to get ready. You need anything else?" Santana checked her messages. "Puck's going to be over in a few minutes with the alcohol. He said he bought extra because of…" Santana paused before reading out the rest of the message. That couldn't be right. "Did you invite the glee kids?"
Britt turned around. A red Rudolf ball stuck to the end of her nose. The bells on her antler ears rang with the sudden movement. "Oh yeah! I forgot about that. I said they could come over too! It'll be lots of fun!"
Santana sighed. All of her problems started when they had joined the glee club. She had been looking forward to a night of normalcy without sing-alongs, awkward eye glances from ex-girlfriends/boyfriends, the lack of Artie would have been nice, and Santana had certainly been eager for a night without longing looks between Rachel and Finn. They were already unbearable at glee practices. "Yeah." Santana swallowed hard. This was exactly the kind of thing she had been trying to avoid. "It should be thrilling." Whatever. "Are you going to come up or do you want me to grab anything from your room while I'm up here?"
"Nope!" Brittany adjusted the reindeer antlers on her head; it really completed the Rudolph outfit. Once again, Santana wondered if the get-up had been Mrs. Pierce's outfit originally. They both had a thing for dressing up. "I'm going to finish the rest of the decorations and make sure Puck sets up the keg when he gets here."
Santana shrugged. She had half expected that answer.
Upstairs, Santana lingered at Brittany's doorway. It was practically Christmas and no matter how awkward their current friendship, there was no way they weren't going to exchange gifts.
But every time Santana poured over magazines and articles on what to get a best friend on Christmas, none of them fit Brittany. Nothing was good enough for her. Nothing would mean enough. She spent hours on ebay scrolling through stuffed animals and she even thought about getting something for Lord Tubbington, but…
Santana glanced back down the stairs. She could hear Brittany still decorating.
She swallowed hard.
Inevitably, tangibles and gifts dissipated. Each one shifted and rearranged inexplicitly to thoughts of Brittany herself. Santana could only think of her hands when she pet Lord Tubbington or the lips that new lips gloss would be applied to. Santana had made the mistake of visiting a novelty t-shirt site in the hopes she could just get a picture of Lord Tubbington on a shirt and be done with it. It took three minutes before Santana envisioned how easily Britt would pull it over her head in the locker room or when they were just watching a movie or that one time they had been in the bathroom together – that one time before she stepped into the shower with Santana.
A lump caught in Santana's throat again. Her face flushed in embarrassment.
Last night, she had decided to try to write a letter to articulate everything she was feeling, but…
The result had been three pads of paper crumbled and tossed to the floor, a broken pen from frustration, and more confusion than anything. Anxious, Santana had wrapped the box she had intended to give Brittany anyway. Now, she fiddled with the red bow in her hands. It had been stupid, but the only thing she had for Brittany was a mess of feelings and confusion that she couldn't accurately express. An empty box wrapped in gold Christmas paper and sealed with a pretty red bow was the best she could do. Santana flipped it around in her hands a few times. She could just tell Brittany she had forgotten to give her a gift or promise to take her out shopping.
An empty box was the worst gift in the history of gift giving, but it was everything she felt for Brittany, but just didn't know how to say.
It seemed even lamer now that she stood above Brittany's bed and tried to justify the box as a gift.
Fuck.
She shoved the box underneath Brittany's pillow and walked away. She had already messed up everything else with Brittany – why not fuck up Christmas too? Santana bitterly tried to forget about the box completely. Maybe Brittany wouldn't even know where it came from or from whom.
It wasn't long before Santana's heels could be heard downstairs again. She stood at the top of the landing and surveyed their hard work. The house looked amazing and even if it did get trashed tonight, Mr. & Mrs. Pierce would at least have some of their decorations up for the Christmas season. Brittany was back by the door on a small step ladder and trying to hang something over the doorway. Santana walked down the rest of the stairs. The sound her heels made was impossible to miss. Britt tensed just slightly as she realized Santana was approaching from behind.
"Need help?' Santana questioned. She had already put up the wreath so she wasn't quite sure what Brittany was doing.
"I'm just putting up the last of the decorations." Britt hit the head of the hammer onto a nail once.
"Britt! What are you doing?" Santana's eyes widened. What the hell was Brittany doing with a hammer?
Nimble and light on her feet, Britt landed next to the ladder and held the hammer up with pride. Santana glanced to the doorframe above. Brittany had nailed a bunch of mistletoe held together by a Christmas ribbon to the doorframe. Santana opened her mouth, but no words came out. What was Brittany thinking? She glanced around. No one was here yet. They were the only two. Her eyes glanced to the mistletoe once more and quickly measured the distance between her body, Brittany's body, and the location of the mistletoe. Technically, they both weren't under it. Did this mean they still had to kiss? Her cheeks flamed.
"I didn't have time to get nice party favors and Christmas gifts for everyone so I thought this would be a great Christmas gift!" Britt smiled in triumph and satisfaction at the hammered mistletoe above her head.
"Christmas gift?" Santana strained to understand.
"Yup!" Britt tossed the hammer behind the couch and smiled. "I'll be back! I'm gonna get ready before the party starts and I don't want to miss giving out my gift to anyone. That would be awkward."
Santana still hadn't fully processed what Brittany's Christmas gift was supposed to be or why she had an ominous feeling as she gazed up to the seemingly harmless mistletoe. Another errant thought crossed her mind as she imagined meeting Brittany under the door. Britt paused and waited. Her dark eyes drifted down to pink lips she had only had the pleasure of knowing in the dark or when they couldn't talk. Britt shared an easy smile. Santana wondered if she'd still be smiling if their lips connected. From her lips, Santana's gaze dropped further. She counted the steps it would take.
One.
Two.
All she had to do was step next to the ladder and they'd both be under the mistletoe. But Santana said and did nothing. After a moment of silence, Britt neither shrugged nor frowned. Outwardly, she didn't react at all, but Santana felt as if Brittany could read her mind even as the blonde walked away.
Santana watched as Brittany bound up the stairs.
She should have just taken a step forward so they could have shared that space together.
She should have asked for a kiss.
It started with fucking Puckerman.
Maybe it was better that way since they had both already kissed him before. But no matter the familiarity or what she told herself, Santana couldn't stop the way her stomach dropped to the floor as she watched Brittany welcome the first guest to her holiday party. Maybe it would have been fine if Puck wouldn't have been wearing that smug smirk on his face as Brittany pressed her lips to his.
"Shit, Brittany! I didn't know it was going to be one of those parties. Have you been drinking already?" He asked. His face still lingering close to hers. Santana clenched the garland in her hand tightly.
"No, Puck, alcohol was your job. I'm just giving you your Christmas gift." She pointed to the mistletoe dangling about his head. "Merry Christmas!"
"Fuck. I've got to get the keg and come back. Does that mean I get a second Christmas gift?"
"No." Britt shook her head and a breath Santana didn't realize she had been keeping released. She didn't know if she could watch that again. "One gift per guest."
But before she could get comfortable, Puck's "date", a fellow Cheerio sophomore, entered the doorframe. Santana jerked forward. It was Bridget or Tiffany or whatever the fuck her name was at the bottom of the pyramid. Brittany wouldn't kiss her. Would she? Santana opened her mouth to call the girl forward and away from Brittany. But before she could say anything or Puck could mention the Cheerio with him or the girl could say hi to the upperclassmen, Brittany had already pecked her lips.
Santana didn't know why Brittany kissing another girl without a care in the world hurt more than watching her with Puck. But her stomach turned and she bit her lip. How could she make it look so easy? Why did it feel so hard to watch? She shouldn't give a fuck, but Santana couldn't look away.
"Merry Christmas!" Britt exclaimed, seemingly oblivious to the shock on the girl's face.
"Um…hi, Brittany…"
"This is gonna be the best Christmas party yet." Puck's smirk had only gotten bigger.
Santana knew it was going to be the opposite.
"Yo, Tana. I see you back there. Ready to get your drink on? I brought you a special something." Puck lifted up a bottle of tequila from behind his back. Normally, Santana would have been grateful, but she could barely muster a smile. Puck didn't notice Santana's agitation. "Maybe you could give me a Christmas gift like Brittany's?"
"Fuck you, Puck."
"Oh I see that you're still a Grinch when it comes to Christmas." Puck wrapped his arm around the younger Cheerio. "Don't worry. I found myself a girl who volunteers and shit. She's a real giver – if ya know what I mean."
"You're disgusting." Santana rolled her eyes. Of course when she did, she caught sight of Brittany greeting another football player and Finn. Fuck. "Come over here with that bottle."
"I knew you wouldn't be able to say no to me all night."
"Shut the fuck up, Puck, and bring the bottle. You're only good to me as long as that tequila's in your hand."
The doorbell rang again.
Puck poured the tequila in a shot glass.
Santana watched the blonde hair bobbing up and down in front of the door. More and more people poured into the house. Brittany's name was on everyone's lips.
One shot.
Her lips were on everyone's lips.
Two shots.
Santana licked her own after the burn.
Three shots.
Puck's grin grew. The Cheerio who had come to the party with him became quickly annoyed that he had lost interest with her. She huffed and walked directly to the keg. Santana didn't care. Her eyes remained at the front of the Pierce house.
Four shots.
"Lopez, you trying to get fucked up tonight?" Puck teased.
"Just enjoying the Christmas spirits." Santana answered.
"Oh shit did you see Brittany kiss-"
Santana violently ripped the bottle from his hand before he could finish the question. It didn't matter who Puck was asking about. Santana had seen every kiss. Had felt every kiss from their vantage point at the kitchen counter overlooking the living room. Each kiss stung. Each one she imagined stealing back. "You're boring me now."
"Tana! Come back!" Puck shouted after her. When he realized she wasn't returning, he threw his hands up in the air and went off to find the girl who originally accompanied him.
Whatever.
She tipped the bottle back one more time before setting it down. As easy as it would be to get black out drunk, Santana felt compelled to keep her attention on the life of the party – the reindeer antlers, red nose wearing, smiling blonde.
Santana watched with increasing despair as Brittany welcomed every guest into her house with a kiss. They weren't all the same and yet every one produced the same effect in the girl. It was hard to watch, but even harder to turn away. She had to know. She had to see each kiss – whether a peck on the lips or open-mouthed and opportunistic.
Every ring of the doorbell drew the attention of every guest, but none as quickly as Santana's.
This time it was Rachel Barbara Berry at the door. Brittany enthusiastically opened the door. Rachel didn't give her a chance to give her a kiss right away like she had done with the rest of her guests. Rachel immediately raised a single hand as if to stop what she would have been imagined to be applause at her arrival like she was some famous movie or Broadway diva. It took Brittany a second to recover. She stopped mid-motion and waited for Rachel.
True to her personality, she started with a diatribe in that annoying self-righteous voice Santana hated. "Brittany, I know we haven't always seen eye to eye-"
Britt interjected. "Because of your height-"
Rachel ignored Brittany's side comment and continued. Rachel had always – despite the pun – preferred the high road and not to tangle herself with the lesser "playful" ribbing of her fellow high school students. "-but I appreciate that in this time of brotherly love and family, you saw fit to welcome me to your Christmas party. And even though I don't celebrate the birth of your baby Jesus, I decided to come in the 'spirit of the season.'"
Santana hated her even more as she made those obnoxious bunny ears in the air as she quoted spirit of the season.
Britt had only been listening to about half of what Rachel said. She didn't have an attention problem, but she could only stand so much of Rachel's voice. It had a way of droning on. But Brittany had heard the part about the "spirit" and instantly her enthusiasm for Christmas returned. She glanced down and noticed Rachel's attire. It was hard to hide the way she frowned so openly at Rachel's outfit. "Oh."
"Oh what?" Rachel looked herself up and down – fearful she had forgotten her bra or perhaps her pants. The invitation to the party had given her anxiety induced nightmares the night before.
"I don't know if you got the memo, Rachel, but this isn't an ugly sweater party."
"I know it's not an ugly sweater party. Is there something on my sweater?" Rachel cocked her head unsure what Brittany was saying. She glanced down at her favorite sweater of a reindeer dancing on the back of a bear. The reindeer appeared to be juggling Christmas presents. Bells were placed haphazardly around the knitting. It looked awful.
The blonde shook her head. "Nope. You look great!" She lied. "Come on in!"
"Why thank you for your hospitality, Brittany. Who knew you were such a generous host?" Rachel stepped across the threshold. The party paused for a half-second as the novelty of Brittany's welcome had yet to lose its appeal for a group of horny and now slightly tipsy teenagers. Completely unaware of Brittany's plan, Rachel took a step into the house and immediately met with Brittany's lips.
Another round of cheers went through the assembled party. Most couldn't believe she had just kissed Rachel as she was known for her prudish behavior with all of her boyfriends and her rather inconsistent reaction to uncomfortable situations.
Mercedes had barely blinked when Britt kissed her. She had rolled her eyes and muttered something about how the kiss was mild compared to the Brittany initiations she had encountered through the years; namely, when the Trouble Tones became official. Tina had pre-gamed the party and giggled profusely at the kiss. Mike had muttered something about taking care of Tina between the kiss and keeping his girlfriend upright.
But Rachel? Everyone held their collective breath.
Shocked, Rachel's eyes flared open. Her hands went to Brittany's shoulders and pushed her back.
"Brittany! I expect this lewd kind of behavior from our male counterparts, but not from you! Why did you do that!?"
She wiped at her lips and glanced around the room to see if her invitation to the party had been mean spirited. Perhaps one of her nightmares would come true! Her invitation had only been to make fun of her. It was like one of those tragic teen movies from the 90s.
"Ah let it go, Berry! It's Brittany's Christmas gift to everyone coming over the house." Puckerman yelled from the sofa. He had that sophomore cheerleader back on his lap. "Loosen up! It's all in the spirit of giving!"
Rachel turned back to Brittany who hadn't moved from the doorway. The blonde cheerleader pointed to the doorframe above them where the mistletoe had been hammered into the frame. "Rachel, you said you were going to get into the spirit of the season. I've kissed everyone else who's come through my door…I thought you were going to Christmas it up. Isn't that what your big speech was all about?"
Santana looked on. Her jaw clinched. Of all the people Brittany invited to her Christmas bash, Santana had been least worried about Rachel. It was just Rachel. Besides, Britt had already given her a Christmas kiss. It wasn't like she had to watch it again. But she still couldn't tear her eyes away from the door – specifically the back of a certain cheerleader.
No one paid her much attention.
Santana waited to see when Rachel would walk away.
But she didn't.
Santana could clearly hear and see them from her vantage point.
"It's all in the spirit of the season, Rach! No jokes here. I did it for everyone!"
"Well I guess if it's in the spirit of the season…" Rachel mused for a half second before she practically jumped into Brittany's arms. The small girl kissed Brittany back. Now everyone was paying attention to the door. Finn's jaw practically unhinged. Santana's teeth were grinding. She glanced over and saw Quinn's eyebrows practically rise off her forehead. Puck unceremoniously dumped the girl in his lap to the ground.
"Oh fuck! Look at Rachel and Britt going at it!"
"Berry!" Santana snapped. "Aren't you Jewish? You don't get a second Christmas gift. You shouldn't have gotten a first one."
Rachel pulled back and pushed back the hair from her face. Santana looked less than amused. Britt wore the biggest smile. "Well…that was…exciting. Thank you for that um-" Rachel licked her lips. "-Brittany."
Britt watched the petite diva walk through the party with her head held high. She didn't know whose face was more entertaining - Finn's or Quinn's.
The sharp sting of jealousy settled in her gut, but Santana knew she couldn't be mad at Brittany. She had her chance before the party started. Mostly, she was angry at herself for feeling this way.
After a while, the party grew too wild and too big to keep tabs on the door for Brittany. Music, alcohol, and bodies filled the house. It pulsed and vibrated the walls. Christmas music had been quickly replaced by a holiday mix done by Zizes. People were dancing and bumping against each other. Shots of tequila made it hard to keep track of Brittany or to remember most of the night. Santana was just grateful it had gotten crazy enough to stop Brittany's Christmas gifts.
But whenever Santana realized she had lost sight of Brittany completely, antlers would jingle not that far away.
Maybe it was the alcohol or Santana's imagination, but as the night progressed, she noticed blue eyes were searching for hers. Through the crowd and around bodies, Brittany flashed her a stolen smile. Santana couldn't help but notice the way Brittany's gaze slid off everything and everyone around the house as nothing held weight, but when Brittany's attention settled on Santana it was as if she were Brittany's only anchor and neither of them was willing to look at anything else. Of course elf ears and Santa Claus hats obstructed their view and the moment would break. Brittany kept her distance, but Santana entertained the thought that if she had the guts – if she found the courage – if she drank enough alcohol to approach Brittany and she asked for her Christmas gift, Brittany would kiss her in the middle of the dancing – in the middle of the chaos; no mistletoe required.
But no matter how much she drank or how often their eyes met, Santana couldn't summon enough courage to take that first step in Brittany's direction. Whenever her foot seemed poised to make the move, Santana became painfully aware of all the eyes surrounding them.
She balked. If only it could be that easy. If only she had asked for her Christmas gift when Brittany first nailed the mistletoe to the door when no one had been home except the two of them. If only…
The party grew wilder as the night went on. Quinn and Rachel were found tying up the bathroom multiple times with long talks. Finn and Puck got into a wrestling match outside and someone dressed as Santa Claus was offering his "lap" for any girl interested.
Not long after midnight, police sirens flooded the streets. The party scrambled out the back and jumped over fences. The cops didn't even bother to knock on the door. The kids running down the street were enough to guarantee the party wouldn't start back up. It was too close to Christmas to start all the paperwork that would accompany actually picking kids up and throwing them into the back of the cruiser. Parents would have to be called and it would be a long night for a small town.
The house emptied except for the two of them.
Santana didn't remember falling into Brittany's bed or whispering her name or curling into her body. She did, however, remember the sound of a light jingle in the air as she ran her fingers through blonde hair and accidently knocked off the antler headband Brittany had been wearing all night.
The next morning, Santana grasped at empty sheets. Her hands ran underneath the pillows and her heart skipped when she couldn't find the little gold box she had nervously shoved beneath them last night. She ripped up the pillows, but they revealed nothing.
The box was gone.
"Fuck." Santana muttered in frustration. "Fuck. Fuck. Fuck." Maybe Brittany wouldn't figure out it was from her. She had wanted to steal it back before Brittany found it. A gift card to Breadstix would be a better present than an empty box.
But before she could drop to the floor and search for the missing present under the bed or behind the backboard, Brittany popped into the door frame.
"Hey! You're awake. I made you some coffee downstairs and I was wondering if maybe you could help me clean up before my parents get home?" Britt's bright smile lit up the room and for the moment, Santana willed herself to forget about the missing Christmas gift.
She swallowed hard, but smiled. "Of course, Britt!"
Red solo cups, garland, sparkling strings, balloons, discarded articles of clothing, and a party crasher who slept behind the couch were all over the Pierce household. If parties were judged on the destruction left afterwards, Brittany's Christmas party had been one of the best of the year. They didn't talk much. Christmas songs from Zizes mix played softly in the background as they danced around each other with trash bags, the vacuum, and wipes for the tables. Santana was grateful for the silence.
Perhaps silence wasn't the right word.
Brittany had always been more articulate with the non-verbal than the verbal. Her steps were light and airy around the house. Every motion perfectly timed to the beat from the music. Santana would have thought it would be impossible to make cleaning a dance.
As the house became cleaner, so did Santana's realization that she would have to leave.
Maybe Britt sensed it too. Her nimble footfalls landed louder and her humming quieted until Santana stood by the door with her coat on. She fiddled with the keys in her hand. Britt stood a foot away and bit her bottom lip. "Thanks again for helping me."
"It's whatever." Santana shrugged and tried to seem nonchalant. "I didn't want to go home yet anyway. You know how holidays go at my house."
Britt decidedly dismissed her attitude and genuinely smiled. "But I still appreciate it."
"Yeah. Well..." Santana shuffled her boots and tried to ignore how close Brittany had suddenly become. "It was nothing. You know." She turned to open the door.
"Santana." Brittany tenderly called her name. The door half open, Santana turned around. Blue eyes glanced up to the last remaining Christmas decoration. Santana made the mistake of following Brittany's line of sight right to the mistletoe. When Brittany looked back down, she no longer wore a silly smile or that overly bright cheery demeanor. Instead, her eyes were intensely focused and despite the cold, Santana felt the heat from her best friend's gaze. Inexplicable drawn to Brittany's mouth, Santana felt her stomach tie in knots in the most terrible and exciting way. Anticipation. Desire. Denial. Nerves. Sincerity. Santana didn't want to acknowledge any of the feelings Brittany ignited by just saying her name and stopping her beneath the mistletoe. She didn't know what she wanted. She just knew that under Brittany's gaze, she was powerless. Even softer, Brittany practically whispered. "You forgot your Christmas gift."
Santana stammered. Her cheeks flared. "No-it's-the party's over - you don't-have to-"
"But I want to." Brittany spoke in the same tone of voice. She took another step forward and cupped Santana's face.
Santana stopped speaking.
Her words, thankfully, got stuck. But Brittany didn't kiss her like she had kissed everyone the previous night. She waited. Painfully aware of how warm Brittany's hands were against her face and how bright her eyes were in the early morning sun, Santana released short breaths one at a time. And she waited.
And waited.
She didn't know how long she waited, but it was long enough they were sharing body heat and shifting closer and closer together.
And waited.
But Brittany's eyes were unhurried and the fingers on her cheek were patient. Santana realized Brittany would be perfectly content waiting forever because she was waiting for Santana.
Santana shut her eyes tight and finally gave in. She trusted her heart to say the right thing. Her voice cracked, but she still managed to whisper. "I want you to, too."
Santana tensed for a half second before -
-Peppermint.
Britt must have eaten a candy cane when they were cleaning up. The thought alone was enough for the softest moan to try to escape her lips, but Brittany had effectively captured every part of her. The blonde cheerleader leaned into Santana's body and wrapped her arms around her best friend. Santana parted her mouth and deepened the kiss. Under the spell of the holiday tradition, Santana allowed herself to give in. There were no eyes. No questions. No doubts or hesitation. It was just Brittany.
"Merry Christmas, Santana." Britt pulled back just enough to say the words against Santana's lips.
Santana finally opened her eyes. Her heart was beating so fast and she held Brittany's arm in a vice grip. She knew it was no longer fear or trepidation that made her feel this way - it was, and had always been, Brittany herself. Again, she allowed herself to open up and trust her heart.
"Merry Christmas, Brittany."
"Text me when you get home?"
"I'll text you all break." Santana promised.
"Call me whenever you want."
"I will." Santana wanted to confess it was all the time, but she could only make so many concessions in one day.
Even as she pulled out of the Pierce driveway, Santana didn't feel so annoyed with Christmas. Unconsciously, she licked her lips. Coffee and peppermint. Santana decided they made the perfect combination.
Britt lingered at the window until Santana's red Mercedes was out of sight and around the block. She reached into her pocket and pulled out the gold wrapped box. The red bow was still attached, but Brittany had already opened it a thousand times since she had found it underneath her pillow last night. And even though it held nothing tangible, to Brittany, it held everything.
In fact, it was the best Christmas gift she had ever received. Santana had left a little piece of herself behind.
Britt reached up and removed the mistletoe from the doorway. It hadn't been easy, but that kiss had been worth it. Maybe next Christmas it would be easier and Brittany could finally tell Santana that she belonged to her and proudly so.
But until then...
Brittany held the box tighter to her chest - she was willing to wait.
End.