A hush of angry words roused me from my half slumber. I had gone to bed a little earlier than normal for a Saturday night, due to a pretty bad headache and just overall exhaustion from my rheumatoid arthritis acting up during the week. Santana had practically forced me to the bedroom after dinner, telling me to lay down or else. I wasn't sure exactly what she was threatening me with. Last time it was withholding that particular thing I liked her to do during sex, but that didn't last very long since she liked doing it as much as I liked her doing it.
I waited for the quiet to come back, but the whispers just got louder. Well, they weren't really even whispers. More like quiet yelling. And I could tell it was my wife and our daughter getting into another argument.
This had been happening with a much greater frequency as of late, unfortunately. Our children had started high school last fall, and dealing with two Lopez teenagers was a fate I had not wished to encounter. I loved our children. I truly did. But if I thought that them as toddlers were difficult, it didn't even compare to the headstrong attitudes of their teen years. I could only applaud Santana's grandmother for taking care of her and Gabe during those years. She was definitely a strong woman.
I was pretty positive this current argument was about Norah's date that was supposed to be tonight. She had apparently been seeing this boy that neither Santana nor I approved of. Declan told us about him last night, since he didn't like the kid either. Unfortunately, he was doing it more out of spite than an actual concern for his sister, although he was concerned. Needless to say, it caused the shit to hit the fan and the argument began.
The boy in question, Zeke, had been suspended from school multiple times for instigating fights, cutting class, and, on one great occasion, having alcohol on campus. Not to mention that he was a junior while Norah was only a freshman. Santana's and my protectiveness took over and Santana immediately forbade Norah from seeing this boy, with my approval. Unfortunately, my wife ended up taking the brunt of our daughter's anger, though I tried to defend her. Lopez tempers are not easy to calm, particularly when they get really riled up.
"Stop raising your voice, Norah! Your mom is trying to sleep!" Santana exclaimed.
I couldn't help but roll my eyes. It kind of defeated the whole purpose of being quiet when Santana yelled. I let out a sigh, feeling bad for my wife for having to deal with this issue by herself tonight. I rolled over onto my back, debating on whether or not I felt like getting out of bed to help her. I kind of felt like a bad wife.
"Just leave me alone! I don't wanna talk to you anymore!" I heard Norah yell and then a door slam.
"Goddamnit!" Santana said in frustration. I heard her footsteps briefly before she paused. "Declan, I told you to clean your room! Isn't that what you should be doing instead of eavesdropping on your sister and me?"
I heard a murmur, which I presumed to be our son answering. He was grounded as well, for giving us attitude and tattling out his sister in revenge. Like I said, our teenagers could be difficult. Most of the time they were great, loving kids who were helpful and good students. But there were just those times when I wanted to smack them upside the head. I feared Santana wanted to do worse at moments.
"Just do what we told you, please? And give your mom and I some damn peace and quiet tonight? She needs it," Santana spoke more quietly, but she was closer so I could still make out what she said.
I heard another door shut, much more gently than Norah had done, and then Santana's now quiet footsteps approached our bedroom door. She opened the door slowly, and I squinted my eyes at the bright hallway light getting into the bedroom.
"Hey, baby," I greeted her softly.
"Shit, Brittany. I'm so sorry for waking you. You should go back to sleep," she said guiltily.
"It's okay," I replied, reaching over and turning on the lamp on the nightstand.
Santana came fully into the room and shut the door behind her. She sighed and walked to the bed, flopping down on it. She lay there for a minute, not moving, and then propped herself up on an elbow to look at me.
"How are you feeling? Any better?"
"My headache's better, and I don't feel quite as tired," I replied. "So what triggered your and Norah's fight?"
Santana groaned and turned over onto her back, covering her face with her hands. "Remind me why we had kids again?"
I chuckled. "I don't know. I seem to remember you pleading with me to have a baby," I teased.
"Lies. I don't recall that at all. Surely I never would have signed up for this!" Santana groaned playfully.
"Well, we both did and it's too late to give them back now," I said, rolling onto my side to face her. I took one hand from her face and intertwined my fingers with hers before resting our joined hands on her stomach. She slid her other hand down and rested it on the bed and turned her head to look at me.
"Your daughter is driving me nuts," Santana complained.
"Oh, she's just mine now, is she?"
"When she is like this, I want nothing to do with her," Santana said grumpily.
"You are such a liar. You love her just as much as you always do, even when she gives you a taste of your own Lopez attitude," I said with a little chuckle.
Santana gave a wry smile. "I do. God only knows why, but I do," she agreed.
"Because she is our baby. Just as Declan is. We can't help but love them, even when they are being little shits."
Santana laughed, her eyes sparkling and the tension that had been evident disappeared. I laughed with her, and we got into a bit of a giggle-fest as we let the stress of the past couple of days float away as we basked in being with each other.
I loved hearing her let happiness take over her, and I didn't want it to end. I delighted in those fine lines around her eyes and mouth that came with age deepening as she laughed. It made her look even more beautiful. So I took my hand from hers and used it to start tickling her belly, making her squeal in surprise as she rolled onto her side and curled up, trying to fend me off.
"Britt!" Santana exclaimed, laughing harder.
I sat up to continue my attack, but she finally grasped my hands and stopped my assault. Our laughter started to subside, and she pulled me down to lay atop her. I took pleasure in the feeling of our bodies pressed together. We had both softened a bit as we got older, but we knew that we thought each other was still the most beautiful woman in the world.
I leaned down and pressed our mouths together in a soft, loving kiss.
"I love you," I whispered against her lips.
She hummed happily. "I love you, too."
She cupped the back of my head and brought me in for another kiss. She quickly deepened it, and I moaned at the feeling of her tongue against mine. Even after all these years, my body immediately responded. My heartbeat picked up, my skin tingled, and a low hum of arousal shot through me. I was definitely feeling a lot better now, and I was just about to straddle her when there was a knock at the bedroom door.
Santana whimpered as she broke the kiss, and I let out a frustrated whine myself. I slid off of her and rolled onto my back.
"Yeah?" Santana called, not sounding too happy.
The door opened a crack, and Norah's face peeked in. She had clearly been crying earlier, and she still looked upset. It made my heart break a little.
"Are you feeling better, mama?"
"A little," I replied.
Norah's lip quivered slightly. "I'm sorry."
"Oh, sweetheart, come here," Santana cooed, lifting her arm to indicate that our daughter should get on the bed between us.
Norah immediately came in, shutting the door behind her, and crawled quickly onto the bed. She settled in between Santana and I, facing me. Santana propped herself up on her elbow and cuddled her from behind, running her fingers through Norah's brown hair comfortingly, and I rolled onto my side to rub my hand soothingly over her arm.
"What's going on, Nor?" I asked, concerned.
"I didn't mean to make you feel sick," she said, sounding broken.
"Sweetie, you didn't. You know that I have rough patches. That's what this was," I told her. "I mean, the stress of the arguing and everything didn't help, I will be honest. But you didn't make me sick."
"I just know that you weren't that bad, and then today you had to go to bed early and mami and I were arguing and I thought that maybe I made you worse."
Santana shot me a worried look over Norah's head. I looked back a little helplessly.
"Norah, baby," she began, "you didn't make mama worse. She had a rough week before everything happened, and it just caught up to her. It would help everyone though, if you and your brother both cut us a little slack. But I promise you that you did not make your mom sick."
"Really?" Norah asked, looking so hopeful.
"Yes, really," I promised. I cupped her cheek and leaned forward to press a kiss against her forehead.
There was another quiet knock at the door. Santana breathed out a quiet chuckle, and I rolled my eyes at her.
"Come in," I called.
Declan opened the door, balancing a tray with three mugs on it. It shook a little as both of our dogs pushed by him into the bedroom, but he balanced it.
"I made you guys some hot chocolate," he said quietly as he entered. "I'm sorry, Nor, but I didn't know you were in here so I didn't bring you any."
"It's okay, D. She can share mine," Santana said.
Our son smiled shyly and came to the bed with the tray of drinks. He really was so incredibly thoughtful sometimes. I sat myself up against the headboard, and Santana and Norah followed suit. Declan passed me a mug, and handed another to Norah.
"Thank you, honey. Come on, let's get everybody up here," I said cheerfully, patting the bed next to me on the side nearest the edge.
Declan grinned, and after a little bit of shuffling, we were all sitting in our bed. I had an arm wrapped around our son, my other hand holding my hot chocolate. Norah was cuddled up on my other side, with Santana's arm around her shoulders and her hand resting on the back of my neck. It was nice, us all sitting cuddled up together like this. It seemed like it had been forever since we had last done this.
Since the kids started growing up, they started to drift a little from us as is usual when the teenage years hit. We were all still close, but puberty seemed to bring more time spent alone in bedrooms and less of sharing every detail of their days with us like they had when they were little.
I heard Santana laugh, catching my attention. I turned to look at her, noticing that her gaze was fixed at the end of the bed where our dogs, Anna and Luke, were staring at us longingly. They wanted to get in on the cuddle fest.
"Come on, you big oafs," I said in mock exasperation.
Norah patted the bed, giving them the signal that it was okay for them to get up there. They eagerly hopped on, and found open spaces to plop their bodies down.
"Hey, mom?" Declan asked, trying to get my attention.
"Hmmm?"
"I'm sorry for last night and for acting up lately. You too, mami," he apologized. "I know it puts stress on you both, and I didn't mean to make a mess of things."
"Thanks, Declan," I said sincerely. "But you should apologize to your sister, too."
He leaned forward to look at Norah, who was watching him through her lashes.
"I'm sorry, Nor," he said truthfully. "I didn't mean to hurt you. I was just mad about how much of a jerk that guy is and how bad I played in baseball practice yesterday, and I took it out on you."
Norah lifted her head and studied him. "Thanks. And he is kind of a jerk."
I caught Santana's eye, and she raised her eyebrows hopefully. I shot her a quick smile.
"So how come you fought me so hard about seeing him?" Santana asked.
"Because I didn't want to be told what to do, especially since Declan was the one who was a jerk about the whole thing to begin with," she explained, almost embarrassed.
I chuckled quietly, but stopped when Santana sent me a glare. Neither of us wanted our daughter to date this kid out of spite for making fun of her or anything.
"Well, that is probably not the best reason to continue to date a guy you don't really like," I said instead.
"I know. I will tell him Monday that I don't want to see him anymore, since I lost my phone privileges for a week."
"That sounds like a good idea," Santana said, pleased. "But, just so you both know, as much as mama and I love that you have come to apologize and cuddle with us, you guys are both still grounded."
Declan sighed and murmured an 'I know' while Norah nodded. We snuggled for a bit longer as we sipped our hot chocolate. It was when I yawned that Santana kicked the kids out of bed. She made them take the hot chocolate mugs to the kitchen and told them to head to bed soon. She also told them to actually not disturb us the rest of the night, so I could get some rest.
Goodnight kisses and 'I love yous' were exchanged and then they left the room, closing the door behind them. I immediately kicked the dogs off of the bed, much to Santana's surprise.
"Britt?"
"I am not really that tired right now," I confessed, rolling over to cup her face and bring her mouth closer to mine. "I just wanted some time with my wife by ourselves."
She grinned and closed the distance between our lips. "Sneaky. I love it," she muttered before kissing me.
I deepened it, thrusting my tongue between her lips. She eagerly responded, caressing my tongue with hers. We fought for dominance, and I lost as she slid her hand under my shirt and cupped my breast. My brain froze for a moment at the incredible feeling, and Santana took advantage of it.
I soon found myself on my back while my wife attacked my neck with her mouth. My eyes fluttered shut and I tilted my head back to give her better access. I fought to keep my moans in as her hand massaged my breast and pinched my nipple deliciously. She continued her assault on my neck while her hand slid down my stomach and slipped into my pajama bottoms and panties. Her fingers dove into my soaked folds and I whimpered as my back arched a little, trying to gain more contact.
Santana groaned against my neck. "God, you're so wet."
"I need you," I panted.
Santana abandoned my neck to kiss me hungrily again. Her fingers circled my clit and she swallowed my moans. She suddenly pulled back to look at me. Whatever she saw had her slipping her hand out of my panties and sliding down my body. I almost protested, but she quickly hooked her hands in the waist of my pants and tugged. I lifted my hips to help, and she divested me of my bottoms and underwear.
Then she pushed my shirt up enough to expose my breasts. She sucked a nipple into her mouth. I tangled my fingers through her hair and held her in place as I bit my lip to keep quiet. She moved to the other one and paid it the same attention before abandoning my breasts.
Santana kissed her way down my stomach, and I couldn't stop the small moan from escaping as I realized where she was going.
"Please," I begged.
She hummed against my skin and my legs parted easily to let her settle between them. The first swipe of her tongue against me sent a shiver through my body. She built me up slowly, almost teasingly. She licked and sucked and nibbled before she thrust her tongue inside of me. I sucked my lips between my teeth so I didn't scream out, and she pulled me tighter into her as she moaned into my center. It was almost enough to send me over the edge.
She slid her tongue out of me and sucked my clit into her mouth, flicking it with her tongue and I shattered. My mouth opened in a silent cry as my body tensed. Santana held me still while she continued to work her mouth against me, gentling her attention to help bring me down from my high.
I relaxed and let out a shaky breath. Santana pressed a kiss to the inside of my thigh.
"You are so beautiful," she said softly and lovingly.
She laid herself over me to kiss me sweetly. I wrapped my arms around her and held her to me as I tasted myself on her lips and tongue.
"God, I love you," I murmured as she pulled away.
"I love you," she replied.
I slipped my hands into her pants and cupped her ass, squeezing it as I pulled her hips down into me. Her eyelids fluttered and she gasped.
"Off, baby," I demanded.
Santana sat up and slid off of me. She quickly removed her clothes, leaving her completely bare to me. She was so, so beautiful. I tugged her to me, and she straddled my hips. She leaned down to kiss me deeply and my hand slid between us and found her dripping center.
She whimpered into my mouth as I played with her clit. Her hips started to rock against my fingers, and I slid my hand further back. I teased her entrance before slipping two fingers inside of her. Santana's mouth separated from mine and she bit her lip as her eyes closed in pleasure.
She rested her forehead against mine as she started to ride my fingers. She was so sexy above me. My thumb found her clit and I curled my fingers inside of her.
"Fuck," she whispered.
She sat up straighter and started rolling her hips faster, riding my fingers harder. I put my other hand on her hip and helped her thrust against me. Her breasts bounced and her eyes were hooded while she looked down at me as she chased her pleasure. I swiped my thumb harder against her clit, and her walls started to clench around my fingers.
A couple more thrusts and then she threw her head back, her hair falling over her shoulders as she came hard. She moaned as quietly as she could, and I moved my hand as best as I could to help her ride out her orgasm.
Santana shivered as she finally started to come down. She looked down at me, sated pleasure and deep love in her gaze. I slipped my fingers out of her and pulled her down against me into a lazy kiss.
We kissed slowly and sloppily as our bodies were blissfully relaxed. She pressed a final kiss to my lips before she settled her head under my chin. I held her loosely, running my hands gently up and down her back.
"God, I needed that," she said finally.
I chuckled. "I know exactly how you feel."
"Teenagers suck sometimes," she pouted.
"I know, baby. But they are our teenagers, and we have to parent them just like we had to when they were screaming at us when they were two because they didn't want to wear clothes or shoes or go potty on the toilet."
She laughed and buried her nose into the hollow of my throat. "That was a pretty fun time," she said sarcastically. "But they were still so cuddly and loving then. Like, I never questioned that they didn't hate me at the end of the day because they always clung to me, you know? But now, I am kind of terrified that they will tell me they hate me after an argument, because they are growing up and changing. I don't think I could handle that, Brittany."
I tucked some hair behind her ear and tilted my head so I could look at her face. "You know they won't ever hate you, San. Yeah, they may grow a little more distant as they get older because they are learning how to be themselves in the world. It is a tough and tricky time, but they always will be our babies. And they will always love us, just like we will always love them," I explained softly. "Just look at tonight. They both came in and apologized, and we cuddled together like we used to when they were little."
She shifted her head to look at me more fully, and I saw the happy smile spread over her lips. "That was pretty great. I just miss them being little. I look at them and wonder how they got so big, because I could swear they were just five yesterday. And then these fights. Like tonight with Norah, I told her that she needed to clean her room after she finished her homework, and she just snapped at me."
I frowned as her brows scrunched together at the memory. "Well, I am pretty sure she is PMSing, so don't take it to heart," I teased. She chuckled. "In all seriousness though, this is just something we are going to have to deal with. The only thing we can do is guide them as best as we can, raise them as best as we can, and teach them as best as we can and hope that it actually sinks in. But, to be honest, I don't think we are doing too bad of a job."
She lifted her head and gave me a loving smile. "No, I don't think we're doing too bad of a job at all. They are pretty great kids, huh?"
"I may be biased, but I think so. I mean, look at their mami," I said with a grin.
Santana rolled her eyes but leaned down to give me a quick kiss. "I think they inherited a lot of their traits from their mama, too."
I had to agree that our kids' personalities had bits of Santana and I. "True. I am pretty great," I said playfully.
"The best," she agreed, punctuating it with another kiss. "But I should probably go let the dogs out one last time before bed. And I believe you, my dear, have some pills to take."
I sighed in resignation and nodded. I pulled her into me quickly and kissed her neck, delighting in her scent, before releasing her. She got dressed and straightened her hair while I put my pants back on and fixed my top. She led the dogs out of the room, and I got out of bed to go get some water and take my pills.
I heard Santana talking to Lord Tubbington in the living room while she let the dogs out. I peeked into Declan's room to find him falling asleep on his bed with an open book laid out on his chest. His room looked much neater than earlier in the day, but he still had a bit of work to do in there. I closed the door gently so I didn't disturb him before I headed to Norah's room. She was actually asleep, which didn't surprise me after the emotional evening. Her room was in much better shape than her brother's, which was saying a lot because she was usually pretty messy.
I closed her door softly and then made my way through the living room, where Santana was letting the dogs inside, to the kitchen where I grabbed a bottle of water. I took a few gulps, sating my thirst from our earlier activities. Then I found my pills and took my necessary dosage. I took the pills I would need in the morning with me, along with the water, and headed back to the bedroom. Santana was already there.
"I am so ready for bed," I told her as I put my stuff on the nightstand and crawled into bed.
"Me, too," she agreed.
I was already starting to doze as she got ready for bed. I rolled over into her sleepily after she climbed in. She wrapped her arms around me and pressed a kiss to my forehead. I sighed happily and felt the stress of the week melt away completely. I was exactly where I was meant to be.
A/N: So, I'M BAAAACK! Did you guys miss me? I feel like I was gone FOREVER! But I had a great trip and made some awesome memories, so I can't complain. Now you all, however, might feel differently!
Anyways, this was just another little one-shot. The twins are getting older and causing some headaches for their mothers, as teenagers are wont to do. But, at the end of the day, they are still pretty good kids, aren't they?
What do you guys think? Was it good? Boring? What?
I only have one more one-shot I am planning, but that is because I only have the epilogue of my AU left to write. So that means I will be posting that soon! Are you guys excited?