"How do I look?" Santana's eyes travelled up and down the blonde's body, her mouth slightly agape
"Uh, wow. You look amazing, Britts. But what time is it? Don't you need to be going?" Brittany was stood grinning on Santana's doorstep wearing a cream dress, black flats, and a tiny black top hat. The dress was a perfect mix of cute and formal, with a round neck, capped sleeves, and a black fabric belt tied in a big bow. The fabric of the dress was patterned with lots of little black bows, and Santana took a few moments to compose herself
"Yeah my parents are waiting in the car, I was just wondering if I could borrow your bag. Mine broke. You know the one, the black little one, with the thingy bit..."Brittany spoke quickly, gesticulating wildly, before she trailed off. Santana laughed at the blonde's explanation
"As confusing as all that was, I know the one you mean, come on" they both ran up the stairs, Santana's mother poking her head round the kitchen door nosily, and they reached Santana's bedroom, Brittany turning to sit on the bed but thinking better of it, while Santana dug around in her closet
"Awh, San, you look so at home in that closet." Brittany smiled and pulled a guilty face "Sorry, couldn't resist"
"Shut up. Is this the one?" Santana replied, grinning
"Perfect! Thank you so much!" She took the bag and started stuffing her things into it
"So are you excited for this wedding? Whose is it again?"
Brittany laughed, "I told you! It's my cousin Angie's; they've been engaged for like four years. I've bought three dresses for this wedding in the time they've been engaged!"
"Well, whose fault is that? You will insist on growing!" Santana chuckled as the blonde leaned in and gave her a quick sultry kiss, before the grin was back and she was heading for the door "Okay I've really got to go, we're late already coz my Dad spilled guacamole on his shirt." She explained as they descended the stairs "He has this weird thing about buffet food and he's convinced we won't get to eat all night" the blonde shook her head and laughed, and Santana watched her soft curls bouncing around her shoulders as she did so
"Hey, what time will you be back?" the brunette asked softly as she grabbed taller girl's wrist, turning her to face her
"Around eleven I think, my parents are at work tomorrow and don't want to stay late" Brittany was stood near the door, but couldn't tear her eyes away from Santana, who was biting her lip as twisting her mouth in contemplation
"You wanna come over after? You look too good to waste on family" Santana winked cheekily and grinned
"Sure, although I don't know if I'll look this good after like, eight hours with my little cousins" Brittany laughed nervously,
"Eew, short people." The brunette grimaced, and a car horn honked outside
"Okay I have to go! I love you, gorgeous, see you later" The blonde spoke quietly and glanced over Santana's shoulder before she leaned in for another quick peck, and then she was gone, leaving Santana to grin and wave at the Peirces, shaking her head.
"What was that about?" Her mother called from the kitchen, and Santana jumped, then turned to wander down the hall
"Brittany needed to borrow my bag for this wedding she's going to." She spoke casually and shrugged, crossing the room to poke around in the fridge, before giving in and moving across to the cupboard
"Which one? She looked nice" the older Lopez looked up from the morning newspaper and quirked an eyebrow at Santana, who had now closed the cupboard door and headed back to the fridge "I haven't restocked in the last thirty seconds, you know. It'll still be empty"
Santana laughed and sat down opposite her mother at the battered wooden table "Sorry. Yeah she looked great, and she took the little black one, you know the one...with the...thingy..." she trailed off, chastising herself for not being able to find a better description than Brittany's
"Oh yeah...isn't that hers?" Mrs Lopez frowned up at Santana
"I think so, but I've borrowed it and had it for that long I can't remember" they both smiled and Mrs Lopez shook her head as Santana's fingers started to tap on the table as she gazed around the room
"Something wrong, baby? You seem...irritating" she growled the last word as her hand shot out to stop the movement of Santana's, and the young girl chuckled
"Sorry. No, I'm good. Just restless. Bored. Hungry. What shall I do today?" Santana rattled off, tilting her head to one side
"Oh God, okay, I'll make you a sandwich. I don't know what do you want to do today? Why don't you ring Quinnie?" she shrugged as she stood up and crossed to the fridge
"Yeah I might..." Santana watched her mother. She had always loved and admired her mother, almost as much as her Abuela. This was one of her rare days off, and it was nice to just have some time alone with the older woman, who she had barely seen recently thanks to her mother's work schedule and her days and nights with Brittany. She loved how her mother's scent hadn't changed in seventeen years. It had, of course, a few times, but she always smelt familiar. Her hair was longer than when Santana last paid attention to it. It looked nice, and she said so, earning a twinkly smile. She had inherited her mother's eyes, everyone told her so. Both dark and often hard, but also loving, and always passionate. Her mother put down the knife she had been using to cut bread and turned around, her back to the counter
"Santana. What is wrong? I know there's something up. You're talking incessantly, you're jumpy and restless. What is it?" Oh God. Now or never.
"It's Brittany." She gulped
"Okay." She replied cautiously "What is it, did you have a fight? You're still best friends right?" her mother's face crinkled slightly with concern, and Santana couldn't help but let out a small chuckle at the irony
"Of course. But also not exactly." She looked down and bit her lip. All of a sudden this didn't seem so funny anymore, and she took a deep breath, "We're sort of...more than friends?"
"Okay, so what's up?" Her mother nodded, waiting. Santana tilted her head, leaning forwards slightly
"...nothing. That's, that's it. She's, she's my girlfriend, Mami" Santana looked up cautiously, and finally met her mother's eyes. They were clearly uncomprehending, "Do you understand?"
"Yes but...that's it? There's nothing wrong?" Her mother frowned and Santana couldn't help but stare wordlessly, bringing her head back and opening and closing her mouth, "What, are you catching flies now?"
"No, I just. So, so you're okay with it and…everything?" Santana's eyes were wide
"Oh, Santana." her mother laughed "We've clearly known so much longer than you. Of course it's okay"
"We? Who are we? Known what? "
"Your Papi and I. And Brittany's parents, we talk about you girls every time we go out to dinner" her mother shrugged, turning back to the food on the countertop
"Oh my God! I can't believe this! You, I can't believe you! Any of you..." Santana's fake-angry bravado was dropped as more pressing matters came to mind "...what do you say?"
"Like I'd tell you. Anyway, you can calm down, nosy, we've known for years and we've all accepted it"
"Years? It's only been two! And when were you going to tell us about this?" Santana was trying not to be outraged, but this was a fairly big shock. She'd played out a million different scenarios of coming out to their families. She hadn't thought of this one.
"Santana. Two years? Really?" She raised a sceptical eyebrow at her daughter
"Yeah, we've been together two years now, we just didn't say anything"
"It's been longer than that and you know so. Remember in third grade when you went to the florist with your father?" Santana smiled at the memory.
-ooOoo-
She had been eight years old, and they had been running errands on Saturday morning, mainly finding a gift for her mother for the following day. They were both slightly panicked at their lack of organisation; she had clearly earned some, somewhat unwanted, traits from her father, too. When they reached the florist, her Papi ordered two large bouquets, one full of roses and the other full of Lily's, and Santana had asked who they were for
"This one" he held out the lilies" is for your Abuela, and these are for your Mami"
"Why are you buying my mami flowers when she's not your mami?" he smiled down at his daughter's face, contorted with confusion, and he squatted down onto his haunches, cradling her face
"Because I love your Mami very much, and I want her to know so"
"Oh. I see. Can I get one?"
Santana had insisted on using her last pocket money to buy a small bouquet for Brittany.
-ooOoo-
"Oh yeah. Wow." Santana gulped, "How could you not tell me?" she slapped her palms on the table, her eyes wide once more
"Tell you what?" her mother mimicked her tone and action
"That I've been gay for almost ten years!"
"Santana..." Her mother crossed and leaned against the table next to her daughter, sweeping the hair out of her eyes and cradling her face with her right hand "at the risk of sounding cheesy, you had to figure it out on your own. We were all just waiting for you girls. And can you imagine if I had sat you down and said 'Oh, by the way, chicas, you two are secretly in love, even though you're best friends, you just haven't realised yet' would you have listened?"
"That probably would have blown our minds, so fair enough, probably not" Santana smiled at her mother "Although I wish I'd known it was going to be this easy. You kind of stole my thunder." Her mother rolled her eyes "I'm not telling Abuela yet, though"
"No, of course. And we'll all cross that bridge when we come o it. Do your friends know?" her mother stood up straight, and moved to stand behind her daughter, placing her hands on her shoulders
"No, it's family only right now. And we're not planning on telling them yet. People will talk and stuff, and Kurt and Dave, and you know..." hearing her daughter's voice start to shake, she pressed her lips to the girl's hair
"Of course. Well it's up to you, and when you do you have our full support." Santana stood to embrace her mother, who held on tight before she pulled back to look her in the eye, holding her by the shoulders, "And when you do, if anyone says anything...your father knows people" she winked and Santana chuckled , letting out a deep sigh "Feeling less burdened?"
"Definitely. Although this gnawing hunger is still dragging me down" her mother rolled her eyes and stood back at the counter, shaking her head
"I'm not your slave" Santana sat down and crossed her ankles, resting her feet on another chair
"I know, if you were I'd have had you shot by now like an injured horse" she smirked
"When you move out, I will turn your bedroom into a giant hot tub and we'll see who gets the last laugh"
"When you're old, I will hide everything you own. Then when you can't find anything...I will laugh" She smiled sweetly and her mother smiled back, pointing at her with a sharp carving knife
"...if you live that long, chica."
-ooOoo-
"Hey Q, beach?"
"Lake?"
"In ten?"
"Cool"
It never ceased to amaze Santana how they could communicate with so few words. She quickly changed into a striped bikini under her clothes, slipping on flip flops and pulling her hair into a messy pony tail. Her make-up was already perfect, so she threw some underwear, a towel, her iPod, book, sun cream and glasses into a bag and descended the stairs, calling to her mother on her way out. She immediately blasted the air con, and headed towards Quinn's estate.
"Aight?"
"Hey. Not bad, you?" Quinn slid into the passenger seat, pulling the seatbelt across her body
"Yep. Told my mami this morning" Santana slid her sunglasses on as she pulled out onto a main road
"Oh God, what did she say? You haven't been kicked out? Is this a trick? I can't let you live with me, my mom would flip" Quinn stared and Santana rolled her wide eyes, leaning over to turn on the radio
"Woah there, Alicia Silverstone. Calm yo tits. Everything was fine, apparently our parents have known all along. Which is...unsettling" she grimaced
"Hmm. Okay. Well…that's good, have you told Brittany? Where is she anyway?"
"Wedding. I'll tell her tonight" she smiled at Quinn
"I'm proud of you, it's a big step."
"Yeah well, the next ones will be a lot littler, we're not telling anyone else so you're still sworn to secrecy." Quinn rolled her eyes and Santana glared "Anyway, here we are so grab your shit and let's get a spot."
It was a hot day. And by hot, she meant boiling hot. As they found a space and placed their towels on the burning ground, Santana skimmed the small "beach" for the sight of anyone they knew. Thankfully there were none. They stripped down to their swimwear and sat down
"Just so you know, I am not going in the water" Quinn pointed a finger at Santana and slid her ray bans onto her face
"Yeah. That's why I wanted to come here. To frolic in the polluted waters. There's probably all kinds of half-human hybrids lurking in there." She grimaced and lay down next to Quinn "I'd rather lay here on the surface of the sun, and gets my tan on"
"Oh God that reminds me" Quinn pulled a bottle of sun-cream out of her bag and started lathering it on herself "My skin is so sensitive"
"You sound like Berry" Santana frowned, curling her lip
"I just don't want to be walking round like lobster girl for the next three weeks" Quinn reasoned, and the brunette grabbed her own bottle and started to spread a thin layer over her legs and arms
"Will you do my back?"
"Uh..." Quinn hesitated, not listening
"Oh relax, Q" Santana mistook her silence "It's not like you're gonna catch the gay."
"No, look!" Santana twisted to look past Quinn and in the direction the blonde was looking, eyes wide with horror "OH MY GOD MY EYES"
"Oh, God I know. They were doing...that...outside Brittany's house the other day. They're activating my gag reflex." Rachel and Finn were running up and down the beach, jumping over waves, before Finn picked Rachel up and ran into the water with her
"Oh I can't look away. It's like a car crash, I want to not watch but I can't" Quinn winced as Rachel wrapped her arms around Finn's neck and he leaned in for a kiss
"Yup. It's disgusting and fascinating."
"It's like if Godzilla were a love story. I'm turning my towel round, he's blocking the sun" the blonde shook her head in disgust, and Santana rolled her eyes but obliged, and they turned to face a different direction "So when did that happen? The whole...Hudberry thing"
"Britts and me decided on 'Finchel'. And I don't know, first I saw of it was the other day when they were molesting each other on Brittany's turf"
"Well it's not facebook official yet, maybe it's just a summer thing?"
"Mmm maybe. What were they even doing in LHA anyway? If I see them again I won't hesitate to go all Lima Heights on their asses, especially if they're anywhere near my house"
"Well, it must have been an accident, they don't know where you live do they? Besides, you don't even live in Lima Heights! You live adjacent. Brittany lives closer to Lima Heights than you do. The scariest thing in your neighbourhood is you"
"Damn straight" Santana smirked and Quinn rolled her eyes
"Hardly" Quinn snorted and Santana glared, ashamed at how quick the blonde's comeback was, "Well whatever, as long as they keep their budding 'romance' away from me" Santana raised an eyebrow but didn't comment. Quinn seemed strangely irritated by the sight of them. Must be a Finn thing, the blonde was so territorial. Although she was hardly one to talk, if anyone so much as looked at Brittany she'd be pulling out their teeth with her tweezers in seconds.
-ooOoo-
"Heyyyy, ooh you looked tanned!" Brittany grinned and kissed Santana slowly
"Are you drunk?" She pulled the blonde into a tight hug, excited to tell her about her talk with her mother
"Only a tiny bit, it's more just excitement, adrenaline, although now I'm back I'm kind of tired" she returned the embrace
"Well you still look good to me" Santana grinned and started to lead her upstairs
"Thank but I know you're just being polite. My cousin Alfie was a little terror. He shouted 'poo' in the middle of the service, spilled bright pink soda down his shirt, yeah by the way who gives bright pink soda to a five-year-old in a dress shirt? Then I spent forever chasing him when he stole my shoe."
"Awh, sweetie. Fun, though, overall? Do you want a bath or anything? I have bubbles" she grinned and turned to Brittany, who was staring "what? Do I have chocolate on my face again?"
"No, you're perfect" the blonde replied quickly, and Santana turned to hide her blush, stepping into the bathroom to start running the taps. As Brittany stripped off and settled into the water, Santana kneeled next to the bath. She placed one arm on the side, resting her chin on her forearm, and let the fingers of the other hand drift through the water and the bubbles, occasionally stroking against the blonde's skin.
Brittany watched as she moved. How she flicked her hair back before settling her head, and pouted slightly as she drew patterns in the bubbles. She was thinking about something, but Brittany knew she would tell her within the next minute, so there was no point in asking. Better just to sit and watch the brunette. She knew Santana so well. She could tell when the girl was trying to pretend she wasn't angry or upset. She knew that even though she wouldn't admit it, Santana loved the days when she would go home and find her Dad was home from work early. She knew Santana liked to be little spoon, even though it was completely un-bad-ass. She knew Santana claimed to hate kids, but was actually really good with them. She knew Santana better than she knew herself, and vice versa, and loved her more for it. The brunette was just one of those people, that was simply beautiful in every way. Although most people couldn't see it, due to Santana making sure to keep everyone four arms lengths away, the girl really did have a genuine heart, a sensitive soul, and beauty that ran so much deeper than just the surface. The bathroom lighting was harsh, and yet Santana still looked beautiful. "Do you love me?"
"Of course I do" the brunette answered immediately and honestly, with a small smile. She raised her eyes to Brittany's, frowning slightly "Why, what's wrong?"
"Nothing" the blonde shrugged with a gentle smile "The wedding just made me think. I just wanted to hear it"
"Well I do. I love you with all of my heart, always have and I always will. I love the way you crinkle your nose when you smell something nasty, like that time my dad made us go to the fish market with him. Ironic." She snorted and Brittany blushed "I love how tall you are, because when we're stood up I fit perfectly right in here" She leaned forward and ran a finger down the crook of Brittany's neck, leaving her hand to stroke the girl's collarbone "I love that no one knows, but your favourite guilty pleasure song is American Pie, and I love that I've caught you dancing to it over a thousand times when you think no one's home...well I know that you're in love with him, coz I saw you dancing in the gym, you both kicked off your shoes, man I dig those rhythm and blues" she sang, and Brittany giggled, dropping her head into her hands "I love the way you laugh. It sounds like...like wind chimes or something, but way less irritating" Brittany grinned and tilted her head down to kiss Santana's palm, and the brunette felt a shiver down her back "I love that when you spoon me, I get this feeling. It stars like, right here in my chest, and it's like this fizzing, buzzing...electricity-
"-like when someone get's electrocuted in those bad old sci-fi films?" Brittany nodded knowingly
"Yeah, exactly like that! When they glow all blue and you see their skeleton. And it starts in my chest and spreads out into all of my limbs and then it reaches my head and I forget how to think about anything but you. Although that's not that unusual." She gulped and broke eye contact as she started to blush, taking a deep breath, "I love how well you know me. Like, how you can tell me when I'm being an ass, without making me feel like an ass. I love your knobbly knees" She dipped her hand into the water, placing it under Brittany's knee, bending it up out of the water to kiss the girl's silky wet skin, and Brittany grinned, "I love that when you get a tan, you're so blonde that the hairs on your arms end up lighter than your skin. Same for those freckles" She tapped Brittany's nose gently "I love your lips. The way you bite them when you're scared, or nervous. Or...you know. I love how it feels to kiss you. I love how when you touch me I feel like I've been burnt. Like, everywhere you touch feels sensitive and tingly. I love how you love Wicked way more than Kurt or Rachel, but you'd never tell anyone. I love that you won't tell them I just called them by their real names. I love that you eat dinner in sections. Like, broccoli then carrots then meat then potatoes. I love that you're so hard to surprise, like, I could tell you anything and you'd never judge me or think bad of me. You're so pure-hearted and just...good. I love that you designated a drawer for me in your dresser, and don't even mind that it's a total mess when your drawers are so tidy, and you don't care that all the clothes in there are yours that I've stolen." They both giggled and Santana stared into the girl's big blue eyes "I love your eyes. I love absolutely every single thing about you. Everything."
Somewhere in the list, Brittany had started to feel tears prick in her eyes, the magnitude of what Santana was saying washing over her. Her chest felt tight and her stomach was filled with a million butterflies. "I don't even...Like, what am I…" Brittany sighed with a grin "I love you. So much" She stuttered out, before pulling Santana towards her and pulling her into a deep kiss. She pulled back, resting her head on Santana's forehead, and Santana lifted her hands to the blonde's face to wipe the few tears that had fallen. She had forgotten that one hand was wet, and Brittany giggled when Santana's hand left small bubbles in its wake.
"Sorry" she smiled, rolling her eyes and wiping her face again, with her dry hand
"I love you" they stayed still for a while just looking at each other and Santana sighed contentedly
"I love you too. Which brings me to my next point..." She grinned widely at Brittany and sat back on her haunches as Brittany sunk back into the bath "I talked to my mami after you stopped by this morning."
"About what?" Brittany smiled and raised her eyebrows
"You." Santana bit her lip and grinned
"Oh?"
"I told her about...you know; us."
"Really? Oh my God, Santana that's amazing! What did she say? I'm guessing she was ok with it, seeing as I'm here" She sat forwards and stared into the brunette's dark eyes, both of them brimming with excitement
"Completely. In fact, they already knew." She pulled a bemused grin
"They? And how? Wait, what are you talking about?" Brittany twisted her face with confusion, and Santana waved a hand and continued
"Basically, I was all 'Brittany's my girlfriend' and she was like 'yeah and...' and I was all 'well that's it' and she was like 'yeah we all know' and I was like 'what? Who?' and she said that our parents have known all along. Like, since we were kids. Which kind of got me pissed, because knowing that would have been so much easier but then she was like 'blah blah blah had to figure it out by yourselves' and then we started throwing around idle death threats before she could start lecturing me" Brittany nodded through the explanation, smiling at Santana's description of her relationship with her mother
"That is incredible. So we don't have to hide anymore? And my parents know too?" she shook her head and smiled at the thought
"Well, apparently we weren't that subtle anyway but nope!" Santana raised her arms in a mini-celebration, and Brittany did a little dance, causing the water to ripple
"That's amazing. I'm so proud of you. I know this was a really big deal for you." She took Santana's hand in hers and smiled up at her, and Santana leaned down to kiss her girlfriend "And you know, sometime before college, maybe we could tell other people? Not yet, but maybe during school sometime?"
"I don't know, Britt. I want to but, people will talk and everything, and after everything Kurt went through"
"Okay. Well, whenever you're ready we can. And if anyone says anything...I will hunt them down like a lion on a gazelle." Brittany said seriously and bared her teeth, making Santana smile, before the blonde broke out into joyful laughter "I can't believe you told them! I'm so proud of you!" She grinned and attempted to pull Santana into a hug
"Woah, there! No way, I'll get soaked!" she held up both hands and attempted to fight off Brittany's advances
"Well you know, there is a good solution...?" she raised an eyebrow
"...leave?" Santana teased
"Nooo. You could, uh...you know..." She winked; clicking her tongue, and nodded her head towards the other end of the bath "you know..." she raised an eyebrow and nodded, winking suggestively and Santana grimaced
"Okay, fine! I'm getting in, but for the love of God stop doing that, its way creepy. You look like the elephant man's epileptic daughter and it's weird" Brittany let out an evil laugh of triumph and Santana stripped off before stepping into the bath and sitting opposite the blonde.
They sat in silence for a few moments before Brittany spoke quietly "Sanny?" She looked up to meet the blonde's eyes "I love you."
"I love you, too, Britts"
"I'm so happy right now. I'm more proud of you right now than anything else ever." Brittany looked into her eyes and couldn't stop the grin emerging on her face
"I'm glad. I want you to be proud of me" Santana blushed and looked down at the few remaining bubbles
"So do you think it'll be us one day?" she tilted her head to one side
"What will be us?" she caught the blonde's eye once again
"The big white wedding"
"Oh, without a doubt. Just don't try to get me to wear a tux. And I'm not naming the tables after different cat species" Brittany opened her mouth to reply but Santana cut her off, "Or Disney films." The blonde pouted and Santana flicked water up at her
"Monster trucks?"
"Wow, delicate. That just screams Most Romantic Day of Your Life"
"How about different bikes?"
"Deal."