Title: Never Too Late
Characters: Quinn x Santana, Rachel, Kurt and Brittany.
Word Count: 9k plus
Summary: Four and a half months, From New Haven to New York. How long does it take to fall for your frenemy/best friend? Quinn and Santana on their journey from friendship to love. Continued from the episode "I Do", Quinntana style with mentions of Brittana and a little Faberry. A dash of angst and more Quinntana fluff!
Disclaimer: I do not own Glee or the characters.
"Lucy Quinn Fabray! I swear to you open the damn door!" Santana bangs at the panel of structure that separates her and Quinn.
Quinn approaches her dormitory door, hesitant to let Santana in. She gives it another thought for what feels like the hundredth time already and decides against it. She taps the door slightly and answers the furious woman out there.
"Just leave Santana," Quinn says softly against the door. "Just go back to her, please."
"If you just hear me out," Santana begs. "Please Quinn."
"I'm tired, just go."
"Quinn.." Santana replies softly, defeated.
She sighs. Quinn has never thought things can get complicated between her and Santana. A one-time thing becomes a two time thing, twice, thrice and countless times she slept with her. Had she known she'd fall for her best friend she'd have run away as far as she can from Santana the second she proposed a round two in bed. Then she would never have to be in this position anyway in the very first place.
"Hey!" Santana yells breaking Quinn in her reverie, "Get off me you asshole!"
"We've been getting complaints from students in the residence who are studying for their midterms." A man with a deep voice said.
"You need to leave the premises quietly or we won't be so lenient the next time." Another voice in the corridor said.
Quinn listened to what was happening beyond her door. She wished for Santana to leave earlier to avoid further confrontations like this. She wishes for a lot of things for Santana or with Santana yet the girl would just not just have any of it. How typical of her, Quinn thought.
How it's just oh so "Santana" of her to do so. Stubborn to her very core.
The argument between Santana and the security continued. She's damn tired of this and found the courage within herself to face Santana.
Quinn opens the door calmly and steps out of her room. Santana tentatively steps forward but before she can fully approach Quinn, the blonde speaks.
"Get her out of here," Quinn motions to the guards. "She has been stalking me for a few weeks now and wouldn't let up."
Santana's eyes widen in disbelief and she spluttered out words trying to defend her own self. The guards stood on each side of Santana and held both her arms escorting her away.
"But she's my FRIEND!" Santana looks frantically between them.
"Quinn! Please don't do this!" Santana yells for her. Quinn simply smirks and waves, mouthing "Bye, Santana."
"You're making a mistake! I just want to talk to my friend!" Santana thrashes around the guard's grip.
"Quinn! Quinn!" Santana once again yells after her. They have turned around the corridor and yet she could hear the Latina's protest. She sighs and thinks it's for the best to be rid of Santana.
Quinn receives a text from Santana an hour later.
"Thanks to you I got banned from your dormitory"
She's about to reply when another text came through her phone.
"I get it now Quinn. I'll talk to you when you want an actual conversation with me. I won't push you to hear me out even if I want you so badly to just listen to me. I'm sorry."
Quinn doesn't reply but simply leaves the texts on her phone.
Quinn's whole week of midterms at Yale passed by without hearing from Santana. Another whole week and it feels like things were getting back to normal.
No texts, or calls or even emails from the girl. She truly kept her word about speaking to Quinn. Two whole weeks and Quinn wonders how Santana feels about the whole thing.
It's kind of crazy since Quinn and Santana spent the two weeks together after Mr. Shue's bomb of a wedding almost inseparable, doing things friends were supposed to do and even things friends weren't supposed to do. Quinn looks back at those days like they were just yesterday and at times those days felt so far away. Things got so intense between the two of them and for Quinn's part, Quinn had always trusted herself with Santana. Somewhere along the way sex wasn't just sex. It wasn't just a means to get off. She let herself believe that what they had was special, that they had a connection. Stupid girl, she thought. Quinn let herself believe that she could be any more different than the men she had dated. It's just the same, men and women. How naïve was she to think somebody will love her for who she is. Romantically in the sense that, she allowed herself to be swept off her feet with Santana's antics, the way she gazed through her like she's peering into her soul with her chocolate brown eyes, the softness and tenderness in her features every time they made love..
Quinn shrugged Santana off her thoughts, it only has been a month since then there's no way she could drag herself further with this. No matter what she has with Santana or what she feels and thought of Santana, it has to stop even before things get complicated as it is.
At the loft in Bushwick, Santana vents her frustration to Rachel.
"I just don't get her hobbit!" Santana fumes, "I don't get Quinn!"
"First of all Santana, I have a name and it's not hobbit. It's Rachel and I expect of you to call me that when you talk to me. Second of all, It's very flattering that you are coming to me talk to me about this thing you have with Quinn. Although I must admit thoroughly that I do not know Quinn the same level as you do to help you with that matter but I must say Santana you're a very intelligent person and coming to me is a good idea. Lastly, I know what you want and it's an outsider's point of view regarding with this matter. I can help you with that but I need more details regarding this situation. What really happened?"
"Okay Berry, I'm just going to pretend that you just talked to me like a normal person on a normal conversation and you needn't have to launch on a speech there."
"As you know," Rachel gestures to Santana. "And I know," she then gestures to herself. "And half of the glee club knows that you and Quinn more than just hooked up at the wedding." Rachel says. "I've never seen both of you so happy in the last two weeks that I saw the two of you together and in the social networks.. Quinn for her part looks like all of the weight of the world's problems is not on her back anymore as it used to and you, Santana, I see that twinkle in your eye rekindle like the sparks of flame in a romantic candlelight and don't pretend that you do not see or know this either."
Santana stares at Rachel. Then she blinks, twice, thrice and she blinks again. Rachel grows worried she might have said something wrong and she starts shifting in front of Santana.
"It's just when you put it that way Rachel, It's me who doesn't get me." Santana says. "Quinn was the best part of my life ever since I found out that Brittany and Sam were dating. She made me forget that and I really messed it up again!"
"Santana.. What happened? Tell me."
"I screwed up."
"How?"
"Quinn I guess wanted to surprise me so she went to Coyote Ugly two weeks ago, she saw me with another girl and I saw her walking away." Santana confesses. "..and I just let her."
"You what?!" Rachel's booming voiced echoed through the loft.
"I let her walk away." Santana answers forlornly. "I didn't follow her out. I just.. I went to her dorm the next day to hang out but she refused to let me in."
"And why do you think she refused to let you in Santana?" Rachel asked her with a sarcastic tone.
"Is it because she'd rather face her books than your stupid face?" Kurt comes into Santana's room from out of nowhere.
"Kurt, I didn't notice you were here already." Rachel greets him.
"Rachel, Santana I'm sorry I couldn't help but overhear." Kurt looks at Santana apologetically while Santana glares at him.
"Santana and I were just talking about her and Quinn as you've overheard." Rachel supplies.
"Santana, if you may.." Kurt says and Santana nods for him to continue. "I think that you and Quinn just have to be really open and honest about each other. Quit beating around the bush and talk about feelings, what you feel for each other. Don't let her assume something she isn't going to get from you and don't assume that you know what Quinn feels or what she does not feel."
"I.. Have you been talking to Quinn lately?" Santana asks Kurt and Rachel makes an irritated cough from Santana's side, clearly not pleased of not getting any attention from the two of her friends.
Kurt turned to Rachel and smiles sadly and answers Santana, "As a matter of fact I talked to her just this morning and I am not taking any sides just so you know."
"How is she?" Santana intones.
"Why don't you ask her yourself Santana?" Kurt replies
"I'm not sure she would want to talk to me.."
"This is exactly what Kurt says Santana!" Rachel huffs. "This!" she jabs a finger at Santana's chest. "You assume how Quinn feels and take it as fact and believe it. You need to talk to her, I know you're not exactly the brightest tool in the shed with feelings involved but try for her, for yourself. You did this with Brittany, don't do this again with Quinn."
"Just stop assuming anything that is negative between the two of you. Both of you, Quinn, and especially you Santana." Kurt says.
"Just think about it okay." Rachel says.
"Courage." Kurt pats her shoulders and both he and Rachel leave Santana in her thoughts.
It passed another week and Santana couldn't get herself to give Quinn a call but the Latina insisted on Rachel that she has been texting her albeit the blonde keeps her replies to a minimum and Santana took it that Quinn still does not want to talk to her. Rachel could only huff in frustration that Santana just couldn't get it and they had been over and over this issue again and again these past few days.
"What about Brittany then?" Rachel changes the subject. "Does she know?"
"She doesn't know." Santana says.
Rachel nods and gives her an understanding look.
Meanwhile Quinn has been miserable in her dorm room. Last week she decided to talk herself into casually dating men or even women this time around but every time she gets further into it she's just reminded on how everything does not work with any of the people she goes out with.
She's reminded of Santana on how things just flow well between the two of them in the span of two weeks that they were together. Not necessarily together, together as Quinn puts it but together in the gist like..
Quinn rolls over and screams into her pillow. She doesn't know what they are and what things mean. Every time Santana texts her, she just wills herself to be civilized towards her. If anything these kind of thing frustrates Quinn. She doesn't want to lose Santana as her friend and at the same time she tells herself that Santana is way too fragile for another relationship but still she's torn of wanting things with her and not wanting things with her.
Quinn sinks her head further in her pillow when she hears her phone beep signalling a text from someone. She grumpily slides off her bed and trudges through her study table to get her phone. A text from Kurt tells her to get her ass to Bushwick and sort her issues with Santana since him and Rachel are tired of seeing the state Santana is in nowadays.
For a moment Quinn rejoiced on the fact that Santana is suffering too just as much hers. She smiles to herself, maybe Santana wants what she wants too.
Quinn texted Kurt back.
She'll be there in five days.
The days passed too shortly when Quinn finds herself on the train to Bushwick. She doesn't know what to feel to be honest. Nervous, anxious, half-excited to see Kurt, Rachel and most importantly Santana. She has been on this same route as before, it felt like a routine already but this time something is different. Quinn is coming to the loft with the knowledge that she and Santana are on not so good terms. She faults both of their selves for this. This is why Quinn is coming to her this time around now, to fix things between them. She just hopes things aren't too late between the two of them. She knows what she wants most but she'll respect whatever Santana chooses too.
Before heading to the apartment, Quinn made a stop over to the bakery to buy cupcakes for her friends making sure to buy a special cupcake for Rachel's specific vegan needs. She then passed by a flower boutique and bought a flower bouquet for well, she thinks mostly it's for Santana but it would be great too for all three of them for their apartment. Quinn worries that their space is in dire need of a whiff of freshness in it and flowers, plants are good for the air around them.
She reaches the top landing of the building almost panting for breath because really, of all places Rachel and Kurt chose to be in the building with no elevators in it. Nevertheless she calls herself to calm her breath and her mind as she gently knocks on the wood block of the apartment's door.
From the outside, Quinn could hear giggles, all too familiar, sweet and bubbly. If she knows who it belongs to, she just wills herself to not get ahead of herself.
She has no right, she should have known this would happen.
The door was pulled sideways revealing who that giggle belongs to. Of course it's Brittany. Quinn couldn't stop herself from being rooted still in her spot, eyes wide but at the same time unsurprised. Brittany beams widely at her and pulls her into a crushing hug. She hugged her back but not as enthusiastically as the taller blonde gave her to.
Brittany pulls her to the apartment and calls out Santana's name.
"Look what we have here!" Brittany says.
Santana came out from the kitchen and when she sees who Brittany is with, she has the same face Quinn had moments ago but all too soon she composes herself and made a snarky remark of why Quinn is here. Quinn just shrugs and smiles back albeit the smile not reaching her eyes. She walks to Santana and envelopes her to weak hug of greeting and puts the flowers and cupcake to the table in the kitchen, walking through it like she knows the place like the back of her hand.
It just surprises Brittany that Quinn was very familiar with the place. Like she knows where to find the vases in the compartment under the sink for the flowers as Quinn fills it up with water and puts it to the middle of the table for the bouquet of flowers.
A bouquet of flowers and cupcakes.. Why is Quinn even here? How many times has she been here? Brittany muses. She must find that out for herself.
Quinn finds herself in the living room with Brittany, the other blonde eyeing her up curiously. She wishes she could squirm under her gaze but she finds herself looking back at her fiercely.
Santana comes from the kitchen with a plate cupcakes and tea kettle. She eyes the blondes nervously as the silence and staring contest continue with the two of them. Santana puts them down in the table in front of them and Quinn removes her eyes to Brittany to look at her and then back at Brittany. The question is evident in her eyes as Santana tells them that she'll be back from the kitchen to get the cups for the tea.
She fires a quick text to both Kurt and Rachel about the situation she's in, then comes back to sit next to Brittany. It's the only free space in the couch as Quinn had her things next to hers. Now she's sitting in front of her. Santana clears her throat hoping that it would dispense the silence and get one of them to talking. Thankfully Brittany did that for her.
"What brings you here Quinn?" Brittany asks her.
Quinn's eyes darts from Santana then back to her. She smiles, a sickly sweet smile, enough to sweeten the bland tea Santana is sipping on.
"Just to visit my closest friends," she answers.
"I'm surprised you are here too. This feels like a reunion of some sorts." Brittany says.
"Bravo! The Unholy Trinity.." Santana says from her cup of tea.
Quinn just rolls her eyes. Talk about how awkward this must be for the two of them. Brittany seems clueless though. She wonders if this is even a big deal for Santana to have her ex-girlfriend (or is she still is?) and her to be on one room together.
Awkward.
"What brings you here Britt?" Quinn asks.
"I've been to MIT in Boston and they wanted me to commit early but I'm also here because of the program I applied for in NYU." Brittany says and she looks at Santana meaningfully.
"I also wanted to visit Santana too," She then looks back at Quinn. "Funny how you're also here."
Quinn looks at Brittany, measuring how things with her have change. Tremendous changes since the last time she saw her. There is that maturity in her and that glint of wonder, excitement in her aura. It's strange that things can change just as quickly as it did before. The last she saw her was at the wedding dancing with Sam and the glee club as happy and as carefree as she could be. This Brittany in front of her looks like how she thought she could be if she graduated just the same as them. Embracing life ahead on. Quinn concludes. That's what happens if you're stuck in Lima while almost everyone you were closest too have already moved on.
"How are things with you in Lima?"
"Sam and I broke up. I also told that to San earlier,"
"You did?" Quinn's left brow quirked up. Well that explains why she's still here.
"Lately he has been dragging me down. I wanted to move on when I got with him but it seems like I just can't move forward with him around,"
"What did I even tell you with dating that boy?" Santana chided in the conversation. "Told you.." then she shrinks back to the couch as the intensity of Quinn's glaring let her off.
"How about you Quinn?" Brittany turns the conversation back to her. "How have you been?"
"Oh I've been getting by just fine.." Quinn answers a lie. She wants to evoke a reaction from Santana but all she's getting is that the girl is attentively watching the conversation as silently as she could from where she's sitting.
"How about the professor you're dating?"
"We broke up." Quinn merely said.
"Oh I'm sorry about that Quinn." Brittany says softly.
Quinn laughs and that gathered both different reactions from Santana and Brittany.
"Honestly it was no big deal."
"Yeah?"
"There's this one actually," Quinn drawls on. "I do not know if things are even something that I could be serious about. I wish I could just sort things out with her."
"Her?" Brittany asks curiously.
"Yeah."
"Is it Rachel?" Brittany asks her.
Santana snorts from her couch. Rachel? That earned a glare from Brittany.
"Is it why you're here with the special cupcakes and flowers?" Brittany continues. "Rachel..wow Quinn I didn't know you had a gay gene in you."
Quinn sinks forward from her couch and looks intently at Brittany.
Santana sits forward too. This is really happening now. She doesn't know how it'll play out but she'll just hope for the best. The truth has to come out, no sooner than now. She doesn't want to put the both of them in that position. For it to come from Quinn, she wants it to be her to tell Brittany. It's the right and decent thing to do. Brittany just seems to be clueless on what's going on and frankly it doesn't sit well for anyone else in that matter.
"Brittany, I have to.." Quinn starts before Santana could get a word out but all too sudden a banging and scuffing in the doorway made all three of them turn their heads to its direction and out reveals Rachel followed by Kurt almost flustered from the hike up their apartment.
"Quinn!" Rachel yells and runs to her, only stopping when she's a foot away from her.
Brittany cooed from where she sat, which earned a confused look from the newly arrived roommates of Santana.
Santana cleared her throat and look meaningfully at Kurt. The later caught on and invited Brittany for a walk outside. Seriously that was just lame for Kurt but at the same time she's thankful for him as Brittany sensed she needs to leave the loft for a while given the circumstance she thought Rachel and Quinn are in.
Brittany beckoned Santana to come however she spewed some bullshit she needs to get ready for her shift tonight at Coyote Ugly (today is her day-off after all) and would leave the two gay love birds for them alone to talk. That earned a murderous glare from Rachel to Santana.
When Kurt and Brittany have left, Rachel deposited her things to her room before she went on how Quinn and her should talk their shit out and make a suitable resolution as she has to cover up for them to Brittany. Santana just nodded furiously rapt to get Rachel away at the apartment. The talk has to happen now. She won't be wasting anytime as she has waited for Quinn to be ready to even talk to her.
Moments after Rachel left, Quinn and Santana have yet to talk. Quinn found the cupcakes that she has brought very fascinating to her and started nit-picking the designs in the buttercream off and rearranging them. This drives Santana nuts.
Quinn on the other hand finds that the internal turmoil going on her on how moments ago she was keen to fight for Santana with Brittany but now she's alone with her, she just lost all that confidence on. Perhaps the catch that she might choose Brittany before her or that she already has chosen Brittany before her bugs her down. It's a depressing thought that's why she turned her attention to the icing designs on her cupcake.
Both women didn't know who to start. Santana waits as patiently as she can to have Quinn look at her and make eye contact with her, by then they will talk. Sensing that it won't even happen, Santana didn't want to waste the opportunity to have Quinn with her now, and talk to her. State her case. The things she wants to tell her a few weeks ago. She needs to get over herself and just do it.
"Quinn.." Santana starts. She stops arranging and rearranging the designs and looks up to Santana.
Santana got startled at Quinn's eyes now upon her, she composes herself and wills herself to talk but Quinn beats her to it.
"You and Brittany," Quinn starts. "Are you two together?"
"No."
Quinn sighs.
"It's okay if you are."
"Is that what you really want, Quinn?"
"No."
"Then don't tell me it is okay when it is not." Santana says.
"Rachel and Kurt, they told me to talk to you about feelings, our feelings. I want it to be as honestly as we can. I don't want us to play this game. I don't want to guess or second guess what you feel. I just want the truth, Quinn."
"And what truth is it that you want?" Quinn asks nervously.
"Do you have feelings for me?" Santana leaves it out in the open. She wishes Quinn would be completely honest to her about it.
"Yes."
"Quinn.."
"Yes, I like you Santana. A lot. I do but right now it's complicated."
"How?"
"You need to sort things with Brittany first."
"I asked for a break up. She moved on."
"Then why is she here?"
"I - - I do not know. She just showed up an hour before you came which to be honest I didn't know both of you would come today." Santana says. "I wish someone gave me a warning you know."
Quinn smiles at her.
"I thought you knew."
"I didn't."
"Have you moved on from her?" Quinn asks.
"I do." Santana looks at her. "Thanks to another awesome blonde actually."
"Hmmm.."
"Yeah."
"Do you like me, San?" Quinn asks her softly. Too softly like Quinn's voice might break from the timid way she asks Santana if she likes her.
"Yes I have feelings for you." Santana's heart races as she finally admits that to her.
"I like being with you."
Quinn finds herself rushing to the couch opposite hers, where Santana sits and Santana envelopes her to a hug.
Quinn peppered kisses to the side of her neck and when she's done with attacking Santana's neck, she proceeds to attack her face. Kissing every part of Santana's cute round face that her lips can land on. When she gets to the part, her favourite part of Santana's face, she kisses her fiercely with passion as she does. Just like before Santana kisses back just as fiercely as she can. Quinn was already straddling Santana in their position and she didn't want to let go but just as much as she needs Santana, Quinn needed air too. So she reluctantly let go earning a whimper from Santana from the loss of contact.
Santana brings her lips back, finally reacquainted to Quinn's lips and kisses her softly and as tenderly as she could. Quinn moans when Santana's hand travels to her lower to her back to her hips, holding her in place. They continued kissing until they were out of breath and they sit next to each other, staring at each other's eyes.
Santana was just as lost to Quinn's as she thinks of what she has known for quite a while now. That being with the girl right in front of her is just what she needed quite possibly all her life.
She loved Brittany, she cares for her a lot and will always do but with Quinn things are very different. With Quinn there's passion, there's also that excitement of it all, the maturity she looks for with Brittany in their relationship, and she has that with Quinn. They didn't spend time as she had with Brittany but this just shows Santana what she has been missing all this time. She makes her feel like she could jump and fall quickly to her in the days they spent together, how much more if this continues and that also scares Santana. This thing with Quinn, it's scary for her to develop this much feelings at the short amount of time. It overwhelms her that she might get too carried away if she's not thinking too rationally.
You can't fall way too fast.
The next moment, Santana composes herself again. She thinks this could be the best option they have right now. She has faith that Quinn would take what she'd say well.
"Quinn.." Santana starts.
"Mmmhmm?" Quinn buries her face to Santana's arms and inhales her scent.
"I think it's best for us to take things slow."
Quinn caught her breath and looks up to Santana.
"Why?" Quinn says softly, her voice was a little raspy from their activity earlier but there goes that timid quality to it that just breaks Santana's heart just a little bit. She knows in the near future she'd be doomed if Quinn ever uses that small voice to her advantage, she knows that would be her weakness.
"Don't you think we are going way too fast? A few weeks ago we started closely hanging out and I really like that but months before that we were slapping each other's face cheeks out." Santana says and laughs a little at the memory of it.
"Yeah. I think we should go slowly just as well too," Quinn says. She's rather disappointed but at least Santana had a point too. That's her thing, Quinn thought she falls rather as fast as she could to the special people in her lives and when that feeling is gone, it hurts just as much too. She doesn't ever want to ever lose that feeling with Santana. Santana just makes her feel wanted and special, particularly earlier but sometimes she makes her feel like crap too, like right now. The important thing is though at least she has Santana in some capacity. The question is just how much slower does Santana want? She guesses she just has to find that out.
"Good." Santana breaths out with composure, she was a little nervous on how Quinn will react.
"You need to talk to Brittany," Quinn says. "She's also my friend. I would like to talk to her, though I do not know how or even where I should stand so I guess that's on you."
"I will, Quinn. I'll tell her about us." Santana kisses her forehead.
"Just break it to her gently," Quinn says in all seriousness.
"I will break it to her gently." Santana laughs a little.
Quinn finds herself staring off into space as she was studying for her finals for the next week. Santana had mentioned going back with her in Lima for her semesters break. Part of her feels excited about spending more time with Santana and a part of her feels queasy with the unknown. What if things don't even go well? What if things won't work out and they're just not compatible for each other like Brittany and Santana once was?
Things between them were perfect as Quinn once thought, Brittany and Santana, those names even sound good next each other. There was a time Quinn envied the relationship that they had. Santana and Brittany were always tied to each other by the hip.
No wonder things didn't work out with the two of them when Santana left for Louisville.
Perhaps this is why Quinn finds the dilemma with going back to Lima with Santana. Though she reasons their relationship is entirely different than Santana's first, going back to their hometown would change everything. She was after all had been used to in the past month or so with this long distant thing with Santana and it is working out between the two of them quite perfectly. Some days she misses Santana the most and Santana misses her too. They take turns on who visits who from New York to New Haven and vice versa. When Santana asks for them to go slow and she reluctantly agreed to, she had her doubts but this set up works just as well.
Santana would take a train as early in the morning as she could in her day-offs every week and come down to Quinn's. Quinn on the other hand would visit her in the weekdays and stay at the loft, and then she'd go back to Yale for her classes.
A little sacrifice in their relationship works well on both sides too.
Brittany just couldn't handle the distance and Santana out of respect for their relationship chose to let her go. While she might have been fuming with wrath when she found out from Tina that Brittany was dating Sam, she sucked it up and respected what Brittany wants. Though in one occasion Santana admitted that her breasts had ache with rage and that earned a roar of laughter from Quinn. Much to the Latina's displeasure but then again she was such a sport and could take a joke from Quinn.
So when Quinn offered to soothe her aching breasts, Santana nodded vigorously and Quinn obliged.
"I think it 'kneads' your help Quinn."
Quinn blushes from the memory of it. She thinks of Santana everyday on most times like at the moment she finds herself caught off-guard from yet another thought of Santana (and her perfect breasts). She's surprised how she could get by every day without falling into an accident from zoning off in Santana land. Therefore she just acknowledges the facts of life.
You're a better person with the right kind of love.
There are also times when she thinks she's getting ahead of herself, something Santana was against off from the very beginning, hence the taking things slow part in their relationship. She doesn't even want to bring labels in their relationship, like the most important of all, Santana being her girlfriend. Quinn doesn't want to freak her out or even know how Santana will react to that. She's not even sure if Santana is her girlfriend-girlfriend. She supposes it would be more than dandy to finally call her that when the time comes.
Santana sits in the middle of her bed toying with the stuffed pig Quinn gave her. It came with her favourite box of breadstix instead of chocolates that Quinn brought in Yale. She thinks it's really sweet and thoughtful of Quinn to give her those just as Quinn reckons if Santana ever misses and thinks of her, she has this stuff toy for company.
She just chuckled at the silliness of Quinn at that time, like a pig stuffed toy of all things? Really that just puzzles Santana because Quinn nowhere looks like a pig to her or a pig just doesn't represent Quinn for her. Later she reasons it must have been the pig's bright colour of Pink that reminds her of Quinn. Quinn's favourite that she wears for special occasions and Santana must be that special to her to even be gifted of such toy that must represent Quinn's affection and endearment to her.
She nuzzles her face on the nose of the toy, she thinks of how much she misses Quinn right now. It has been a week since she last saw her, she forbade Santana to come to Yale or even go to New York because she needs to study for her finals and at this moment she thinks Quinn might be hard at work answering her tests.
She detaches her face at the toy and pokes the nose of the thing. Long distance relationships are hard she thought but there is something to it that makes it much better than it did before on her past relationship with Brittany. It wasn't as complicated as it was with how Quinn handles things with her. She is just as patient and resilient as Santana wants to be. This is why Santana feels a little ashamed for almost dashing to the train station to Quinn's side. She knows she must be extremely busy with her exams and extra-curricular club obligations. Santana doesn't need to be another distraction for her. This is why she just settled to leave two voicemails to Quinn a day. She doesn't think it's too much since Quinn texts her back and leaves early morning voicemails so that when Santana wakes up by noon, it's her voice that greets her first.
On her voicemails she tells Santana to be good to her room mates, to keep her temper when she works late at night in the club, to take good care of herself, to pray before she sleeps and when she wakes up etc. Santana once upon a time thought it's cheesy to even do that to your special someone but this is what people do when they are in love. Gosh, she was so much more than a sap than Quinn was with Brittany. So who is she to judge? Besides it's endearing to see the soft side of Quinn with her.
Perhaps it's good to know she has quite that effect on Quinn.
Moving day came for Quinn which means she has to pack her things and a few more that she has bought over the course of her first semester in Yale. She has already ordered the services of a moving van (thanks to Santana's help) to take her things from here back to Lima. Damn the day she brought that lazy boy couch on the garage sale, it just couldn't fit her convertible and the huge comfortable mattress to replace the springy one in her dorm.
Quinn was in the middle of counting the boxes she has to carry down the elevator with her when she receives a message from Santana saying she's already at her residence. She then messages her back to come up and help her with her stuff. She receives a wanky and wink emoticon from Santana. She giggles at the antics of her girlfriend (she's allowed to call Santana that in her own mind) and goes back to fixing her things.
A few minutes later Santana comes to her room and says a quick hi to her and her roommate. Quinn almost pouts because this is the first time she sees Santana in almost two weeks and she expects a little something-something from her. Santana comes back into her room with a cheeky smile carrying a light brown furry teddy bear holding a pink heart and presents it to her. It looks very cute and reminds Quinn lot of Santana, she presumes that this is Santana's version of herself in stuff toy form. She gives a short chaste kiss to Santana and murmurs her thank you to her.
They continue packing Quinn's stuff when Santana yelps from where she was packing and Quinn whips her head to her direction. Santana pulls a sandwich from her jacket and looks at it mournfully. Quinn smiles and walks towards her to help her finish packing.
"This was supposed to be yours," Santana tells Quinn indicating the sandwich was hers. "I made it before I left."
Quinn takes the almost flattened out sandwich from Santana and checks what she has made. She made a BLT sandwich just for her making sure she packs on the bacon. Nevertheless Quinn takes a bite of what Santana has made. She closes her eyes and takes another bite, it is delicious. God, she missed her bacon!
"I'm sorry I almost forgot about it. You must have not eaten yet."
"It's okay San. This is delicious!" Quinn tells her and gives the last bite of sandwich to Santana.
They pack for a few more minutes and started loading the boxes to the cart Santana brought to the apartment. Wherever Santana must have stolen it, Quinn thinks she'll help Santana bring it back stealthy.
Santana pushes the cart to the elevator down to her car and Quinn helps her as much as she can with it. They stack the few boxes in the trunk and cooled down for a little bit in Quinn's car. Santana turned the air conditioner in the car just a little bit higher when they started making out heavily in the back seat.
Good thing the windows were tinted black.
Santana slumps a little in her seat while Quinn sat next to her, exhausted. When they finally got a hold of themselves and get their breathing evened out, Quinn turned to observe Santana from where she seats.
"You know I wonder when the van will arrive to take the rest of my things upstairs," Quinn says.
Santana looks at her but quickly turns her face away from her avoiding Quinn's intense gaze. What is up with her? Does she know how her eyes could be that distracting? She can't even think straight knowing that Quinn is looking that intently from where she sits. She can't even say what she has to say.
"What's the matter San?" Quinn asks her.
"I - " Santana starts to say but fails. "I don't know."
"You have that look on your face." Quinn tells her like she's reading her. "Your upper lip is slightly quivering, are you hiding something from me?"
"Quinn!" Santana says appalled, she turns to Quinn to look at her directly. "I would never! Just because my lip is quivering doesn't mean I am hiding something."
"Really now?" Quinn inches forward to her face and holds her gaze. She's waiting for Santana to break the eye contact and surely Santana turns her face away from her and looks up.
"Just because it's quivering it means I'm hiding something." Santana repeats.
"Or lying to me?" Quinn broaches. "You're doing it again."
"What?!" Santana says loudly clearly under the pressure of Quinn's staring. If she could just cut it out and not look at Santana for a little while maybe she'd fess up.
"It doesn't mean I'm lying or hiding something from you." Santana continues. "My upper lip is not some identifier for clues like that."
Quinn scoffs. Of course it so is!
"I so know if we're going to shake or shimmy to the beat," Quinn says. "I study these stuff Santana."
I like studying you too.
"Alright," Santana relents and turns to face sideways to Quinn. "Remember when I told you I'm not going to show up in your house with a U-Haul?"
"Yeah."
"I do." Santana says.
"I totally do now."
"What do you mean? You totally do now?" Quinn asks baffled.
"I rented a U-Haul for you and came with it." Santana says as she sits straighter.
"You did what?!" Quinn mimics Santana's position and sits up.
"I did Quinn. Now come on let's haul all the furniture that you need."
So Santana was only kidding about them hauling Quinn's furniture. She came with the driver of the U-Haul van who happens to be a friend of her boss in Coyote Ugly. That also explains the cart that she has that Quinn thought she stole.
She's glad she didn't though.
Now they are sitting on the car traveling on the road with Santana on wheels, driving. She refuses to let Quinn drive at all. Thus Quinn seats next to her on the passenger seat talking about things and catching up. Santana told her about her talk with Brittany.
Quinn is satisfied they sorted things out and she didn't have to ask Santana details about their talk because Santana is opening up to her, much to Quinn's astonishment. She also told her how disappointed Brittany was that Quinn wasn't talking about having feelings with Rachel. Brittany thinks Quinn won't take Rachel's bullshit as her girlfriend. Santana just thinks that Quinn would tell Rachel to shut up every time considering how grumpy she gets sometimes and Rachel talks a lot like she's on to win a marathon. Overall, Quinn was glad that Brittany was okay with her and Santana.
They stopped for a while at McDonald's to eat before hitting the road again. Santana was really hungry and a bit tired from working till four in the morning. Quinn ordered her a coffee since she wouldn't let her drive still.
"I talked to Aunt Judy." Santana starts.
"You did? Why?" Quinn asks.
"I asked for her permission if it's okay that you stay with us in the loft for your semesters break."
"What did she say?"
"She says if you want to stay with us, it's okay too just as long as you tell her."
"I thought we were coming back to Lima."
"Do you want to come back?"
"Are you coming with me to Lima?"
"I couldn't. I'm sorry. My boss told me I can't leave even for a few days."
"I'll stay with you."
"Really?! You'd do that?" Santana asks surprised and excited that Quinn chose New York.
"Yes, I do. I would choose to stay with you, Kurt and Rachel." Quinn smiles and touches Santana's hand.
"I guess this is our kind of slow," Santana says beaming. "I like this very much."
Before night time Quinn and Santana had already reached the loft. Quinn worries it would be too much work to carry her things to their floor but then Santana tells her not to think too much about it. She has already talked to building manager about letting them use the service elevator for the cars that park on top of their building. All they have to do is bring them two floors down their loft instead of the hassle of bringing it three floors up.
Quinn thanks Santana for all the fuss she has made and Santana tells her not to worry about it. They put all her boxes in Santana's room and laid there in Santana's bed for a little bit. Quinn falls asleep though from the exhaustion of travel and she wakes up at four in the morning to find the space next to hers is empty. Although Santana left a note saying she went on her shift to the club. Quinn feels bad because it's almost past twenty-four hours that Santana has been awake tending to her stuff and her work in the club without an ample amount of rest.
It was past five in the morning, almost the dawn of the day when Santana comes back to the loft and Quinn is waiting for her with a stack of pancakes in the table for the four of them in the apartment. Quinn didn't know whose supplies did she use and she'll just ask one of them later on. What's important is that Santana has something to eat for breakfast before she sleeps.
"Hiiiii!" Quinn greets her from the table with her coffee. Santana approaches her and pecks a quick kiss on her cheek. Her eyes are almost bloodshot from the lack of sleep but she still notices the food that Quinn has made in the table. It had pancakes, sausages, egg (mostly for Rachel) and bacon enough for her and her room mates.
Santana admires the food in front of her and the gorgeous lady who made all of them. She thanks Quinn for all of it and grabs a plate and a fork to scarf down almost a quarter of the food on the table. She has been so hungry all her shift and there has been nothing but alcohol and cigarettes there to help with.
Quinn comes back to the table with a mug of fresh black coffee just the way Santana likes it and a bottle of water. Santana mumbled her thanks and continued chewing hungrily on her food. It was a sight to see and Quinn just thinks if she saw Santana like this a year ago, she would've laugh at her except right now it is nothing but lovable to her.
When Santana finishes her breakfast, Quinn told her that she'd wash her dishes while Santana freshens before Kurt and Rachel wakes up and hogs the bathroom before she ever does.
Quinn waits for Santana in bed. To be honest she doesn't know where to wait for her. The couch in the living room is not an option since Rachel and Kurt have already taken refuge to it. Surely Santana would lose her shit from all the mewling and wailing they do. Rachel told her they were doing their morning vocal exercises. Quinn just held her hands up in surrender and politely told them not to be too loud for Santana hasn't slept in almost two days. They understood but not without Rachel wagging her eyebrows insinuating that maybe it would be her and Santana that would get too loud while Kurt was yowling at his side. Quinn just doesn't know if it's part of their vocal exercises or he's just in for the joke Rachel said. Either way Quinn rolled her eyes and motioned them to be quiet for just a teeny tiny bit.
So this is why Quinn finds herself at the bed waiting for Santana.
It wasn't long until Santana finishes at the bath and finds Quinn at her bed reading the morning's paper the three of them never read. Right now would have been a good time for a pun about a lover waiting in bed then again Santana thought it would be too much so she bit her tongue and held back. She plops next to Quinn in bed, who then helped her dry her hair. When they were done, Santana didn't feel like sleep would visit her anytime soon. She went to her drawer to give Quinn her present. After all today is a special day.
She presents it to Quinn and her blonde eyed it curiously. It was a small lipstick sized box wrapping and she urged Quinn to open it. Inside it was an object the same look as medicine's capsule thrice its size. Quinn twisted it open and tipped the content in her palm. It was a pendant necklace with an angel embedded in it. It looks beautiful and Quinn looks at Santana for answers.
"It has the same color as your eyes." She merely says.
"It's beautiful Santana, thank you." Quinn gives her a shy smile.
"It's not that much."
"It's really sweet of you."
Santana scoffs but Quinn knows better. Santana gets embarrassed by her sincerity. It's rather cute actually and as a result she squeezes both her cheeks to make Santana look at her. She mouths out the word "why" and Santana looks straight at her.
"I know you would've not remembered or even know." Santana says.
"What is it?" Quinn urges her to spill and she just wouldn't budge so she starts tickling Santana back down to the bed.
Quinn smiles wickedly as Santana squirms in her bed, she only stops when Kurt starts yodelling in the hallway accompanied by Rachel chanting Quinn and Santana's name. Santana looks at Quinn quizzically as the later shrugs and detaches her hips from Santana.
Rachel's voice echo in the apartment as she goes for the highest note in her song.
First comes love!
Quinn and Santana had the decency to be embarrassed as Rachel hits her highest last note and opens the sliding door of their apartment. The wood panel connects to the cement brick indicating Santana's roommates have left them alone now.
"Fucking Berry," Santana mutters under her breath.
"You wouldn't really want to do that," Quinn chirps from her side.
Santana breathes in and out, composing herself. Quinn patiently waits for her as she sits up beside Quinn. She clears her throat and looks for the pendant that got lost during their tickling fight. When she finds it, she puts it in Quinn's palm and tells her to wear it tonight.
"I would like it for you to bring this with you later." Santana starts.
"Again why? What's the occasion?" Quinn asks. "Please tell me San."
"Uhh—uhh you know about – uh," Santana struggles telling Quinn the occasion. After all it's not too common for people to celebrate such event.
"It's been a month since we – you – uhh talked about feelings, taking things slow." Santana says. "And we've been together since then."
"Are you talking about monthly anniversaries?"
Santana nods. "Yeah monthsaries exactly and I wanted to take you out for a uhh—date." Santana looks intently at Quinn. "To celebrate our one month together."
Quinn looks to Santana amused at how her girl looks right now.
"Does it mean we get to do this every month?"
"Yeah sure – if you want to." Santana continues, "I want to count our milestones together with you – if it's okay."
"Santana.." Quinn starts. "I would much want to count and remember our milestones together with you." She kisses the back of Santana's hands and continues, "Starting now."
The two of them lay together huddled in Santana's bed. Quinn was already wearing the pendant Santana presented her. It looks good on and her girl was right, it has the same colour as her eyes. A golden locket in a silver thin chain, Santana says she had it when she was little and would like her to have it. Quinn didn't protest and just thanked Santana for the thought.
As they lay there, Quinn waits for the sleep to dawn upon Santana. The Lord knows she needs to sleep and Quinn would also like to prepare something special for Santana tonight. However, both ladies lay there with eyes wide open. The sleep just won't visit poor Santana. So they talked their hearts out this time around.
"Remember when you told me I was projecting Kitty on to you and you told me I was jealous of you?" Santana says.
"Of course that was just literally just a few months ago," Quinn squirms under the sheets from embarrassment. "I got cray."
"Yeah you got more than just cray cray there Quinn Fabray." Santana teases.
"Do you want me to slap you again?" Quinn challenges.
Santana mock ponders thinking about it.
"Hmm.. it depends where you want to slap me babe." Santana burrows her nose to Quinn's neck. The term of endearment or might Quinn say a term of possession, didn't escape her ears. She liked hearing it coming from Santana's lips.
"Say it again." Quinn commands.
"Hmm.." Santana hums from Quinn's neck and it trembles a jolt of electricity from Quinn's spine. Quite frankly it distracts her because Santana is doing more things to Quinn's neck than she intends to. Like more than just kissing her sides but rather gently nibbling and sucking through her neckline. God forbid if she gets a hickey there from Santana.
Santana removes herself from Quinn's side to look directly at Quinn.
"Babe, I can call you that eh?" Santana asks.
Quinn grins, she likes it. She would like to hear it again.
"Yes. Say it again." Quinn commands her yet again.
"Babe." Santana smiles cheekily on top of Quinn's. "Like that movie."
"I am so going to slap you now." Quinn says in mock seriousness.
"Oh haha no you won't," Santana says. "Though you always were a genius slapper." She admits.
Quinn raises her right hand from her side and lightly taps Santana's cheeks as if to really slap her.
"Maybe this is why we love each other so much." Quinn says.
"I love you too babe." Santana declares.
Quinn raises a little bit to bring her lips to Santana's. There she shows what she feels for Santana with a searing kiss.
"I love you too, Santana." Quinn declares back.
They lay next to each other holding each their palms out until Santana feels drowsy to sleep when Quinn hums her a soft lullaby. She grabs her phone and quietly takes a picture of Santana in peaceful slumber. She wants to remember this forever as she opens her facebook to post a status update with her and Santana's picture together underneath.
In Quinn's status update it simply reads;
(Twitter update!) Santana Lopez is officially my girlfriend.
Oh how she just couldn't wait for tonight and more days spent with her for as long as they can.
PS: Quinn's facebook is connected to her twitter! ;)
I wrote this fic 2-3 days before I wrote Square One. I was going through Brittana pain (pain pain pain and almost no gain in canon) and withdrawals with the one-sided spoilers I've read via ontd. But I'm glad it all turned out right for my babies. I still side ship Quinntana though mostly because I love RiverGron (ugh babies, k&m4e!). I have to re-read this twice, thrice, more times to re-proof this because I don't have a beta. So pardon my mistakes hehehe and please don't be mean.
As always keep on shipping who you want! The heart chooses who you love, the otp chooses you!
And if you have time, drop by at the review box below for your comments (or not, it's a free world tbh).
Until next time,
Buttercarys