A/N: I drew this idea up from looking through Naya's old tweets and finding her loving Billie Holiday. It also came to me when I was talking to my dad about my brother, who is a Merchant Marine currently doing some work in the Gulf, and I can't wait until he comes home. I always adored the way lovers reunited after war, and a domestic Santana is simply all I crave. I may or may not have some ideas for continuing this, so please review and let me know what you think! Enjoy lovelies!
She puts the needle to the record and it crackles with resistance until the soft melody flutters towards her ears. She sighs with satisfaction and sways her hips as she dances her way to the counter top. She twirls all of her hair until it all gathers into a single big curl and lays it over one shoulder. She whistles sweetly and leans down to grab a large pot out of the lower cupboard, filling it with water and placing it on the back burner. She adds salt and lets it crawl to a boil.
All of me
Why not take all of me
Can't you see
I'm no good without you
Her hips return to swaying as she hops over Lord Tubbington and she strolls down the hallway, the music slowly fading from her ears though still playing loud and clear on the kitchen table. She sets a large white laundry basket on her hip and pops into the bathroom. She kicks a pair of brown combat boots out of the doorway and tosses her clothes into the washing machine. I need to put those boots away. Brittany would tell me to. I'm gonna trip and hurt myself one of these days. Hastily, she drowns the clothes in detergent and the vanilla and almond scented fabric softener she adores. She lets the machine door slam shut as she hits the start button. She closes the bathroom door behind her (she hates the loud whirring sound it makes) and follows Billie Holiday back to the kitchen.
I'll be seeing you
In all the old familiar places
That this heart of mine embraces
All day through.
She's folding t-shirts in their bedroom upstairs when she hears the record player stop. She's been hypnotized by the consistent motion of folding for the better portion of the past hour. Left, right, fold down the center. Left, right, center. Left, right, center. Every so often, she has to shake out a shirt and refold it to her liking. Brittany's so much better at this then I am. She is about halfway through her folding when Midnight, the slinky black cat that she got Brittany on the last day of their honeymoon, scampers into the room and hops into the laundry basket to keep her company. I bet Britt misses him, too. Her head snaps towards the bedroom door when the music stops abruptly right in the middle of "Strange Fruit". It isn't uncommon for the record player to go funky in the middle of a song, but it isn't any less obnoxious when it does. She huffs and tosses the latest sweater back into the basket. She jogs down the stairs, her bare feet making a clonking sound as she hits each step. Her arms are swinging and she's whistling as she makes her way down the hallway to change the record. She stops short in the doorway of the kitchen and her whistling fizzles out. Brittany stands next to the player, her hand holding the needle off the record. Her blonde hair is twirled into a ballerina bun that sits right at her neck and her army green garrison cap sits nicely on top of her head. Her khaki button down and pants are perfectly ironed, like Brittany spent forever pounding on them to get it just right. Santana rakes her eyes over Brittany's body and, as always, takes notice of the service stars and medals over her breast pockets, rattling off the names of the different awards she remembers: Afghanistan Campaign Medal, Basic Parachutist Badge, 2 bronze stars, Overseas Service Ribbon, Military Outstanding Service Medal, and Recruiting Service Ribbon. Brittany moves the needle over off the record and politely takes off her cap, holding it to her chest.
"I knew you would come out of hiding if I turned off the record." Brittany says with a smirk. Santana doesn't say anything. She sprints across the room and dives into Brittany arms, wrapping her legs around her waist and locking them at the ankles. Her arms are immediately around Brittany's shoulders and she lets out the sigh she's been holding in ever since Brittany left to serve in Afghanistan 10 months before. Brittany takes a step back from the impact, dropping her cap, and puts her hands on Santana's back.
"I missed you so much Britt." Santana says and Brittany can hear her voice crack softly. They're pressed together so tightly, cheek to cheek and absolutely no space between them. She feels Santana's tears on her cheek and tightens her hold around Santana's hips. She squeezes and closes her eyes. She sighs and takes a deep breath in. Santana smells the same as always, flowery with a hint of vanilla and the lightest touch of sweat. She doesn't realize how much she missed it until the scent hits her nose again.
"You wouldn't believe it, sweetheart." says Brittany. She breathes in again and exhales loudly. She hangs onto the brunette and runs her hands all over Santana's back, remembering the skin she's missed for so long. Santana slides out of her arms and when her feet touch the floor, Brittany places both hands on her face. She wipes away Santana's tears and they both laugh lightly. Santana smiles and Brittany smiles back. She stands up on her tip-toes and holds both of her hands to the back of Brittany's neck. Brittany leans in close and presses their lips together. She kisses Santana's bottom lip as Santana molds her plump lips to Brittany's. They stay squeezed together for a while, before Santana pulls away and Brittany holds onto that bottom lip, not letting it go away just yet. She releases with a smack and a sigh. She tears her eyes from Santana's to look over at the record player.
"Would you dance with me?" asks Brittany, her arms moving Santana's so that her right arm is on the blonde's waist, and her left hand is in Brittany's. Brittany wraps her left arm around Santana's shoulder and looks at her right hand, interlocking fingers with Santana's. Santana just stares right into Brittany's eyes the entire time, chocolate brown never leaving ocean blue. God, has it really been 10 months? It feels like forever. Might as well have been. "Huh, San? Dance with me?" she repeats, nudging Santana's nose with her own.
"Of course, baby." Santana nods. Brittany pecks Santana on the lips and leans over to put the record player on. She sticks her tongue out of the side of her mouth in concentration as she stretches toward the little breakfast table to switch the disc. She holds an arm tightly around Santana's back to keep her close and touches the needle to the record. It crackles to life, popping loudly and emitting the sweetest song. Billie Holiday's "I'll Be Seeing You" floats out of the record player and into their ears. Brittany sways in time with the song and closes her eyes, humming softly. Santana chuckles and Brittany opens one eye, smiling. She opens the other eye too and Santana brings a hand up to Brittany's face, tracing her features and caressing her cheek. After Santana drops her hand back to her waist, Brittany winks sweetly. Santana places a wet kiss on Brittany's cheek before laying her head down on a khaki-covered shoulder. They sway in a sloppy circle, doing the old-married-couple's dance, just perfect enough for them to enjoy the music and each other. Brittany lets out an adorable la-da-da as she turns them and it makes Santana giggle quietly, lolling her head to the side in order to look up at Brittany. Brittany guides them, mostly because Santana is too tired to move and is content to let Brittany do all of the work. The music hangs in the air and cocoons them into their little world where the Marines, deployments, long office hours and student loans don't exist, only each other. "I love you Britt." Santana whispers. She lays a single gentle kiss on Brittany's neck. She sighs and closes her eyes, her arm wrapping around Brittany's back to rest on the opposite hip.
"I love you too sweetheart," Brittany replies. She gives Santana's shoulders a loving squeeze as she pulls her into her chest and places a kiss to her hair. "I love you so, so much."
I'll find you
In the morning sun
And when the night is new.
I'll be looking at the moon,
But I'll be seeing you.