Author's note: I needed something nice and fluffy. This wasn't what I was planning, but I also haven't written anything in years. May turn into a series of vignettes if my summer doesn't get any better lol.
"We should have a baby."
Brittany stops in her tracks immediately, hand pausing midair in the process of putting a dish away. She can sense Santana's nervousness from her place across the kitchen; almost hear her wife wringing her hands in an old habit that accompanies anxiety.
"I…I think…we…um, we talked about it before and, uh, maybe we could talk about it again," Santana stumbles over her words, looking down at her hands twisting and pulling each other.
She looks up and lightly adds for clarification, "You know…having a baby."
Brittany smiles despite herself. She can't help it. Santana's so sweet, especially in one of those rare times, so reminiscent of high school, when she allows unnecessary insecurity to seep through. After all they've been through since they were teenagers – as friends, individuals and as a couple – Brittany's amazed that Santana, tough as nails Santana, could ever be unsure of herself. It's adorable.
Brittany sets the plate in the cupboard, and Santana startles at the sound but remains silent. As cute as Brittany thinks Santana can be when she's feeling uncertain, she knows Santana's even cuter after Brittany's reassured her.
She turns to face Santana and takes in the other woman's body language. Brittany's never been one for picking apart words, but she's a veritable expert when it comes to analyzing people through their bodies. She's not surprised at what she sees, having known Santana so intimately for so many years. Santana's hands are interlocked, knuckles white, and she can't quite meet Brittany's gaze. She rocks slightly from side to side.
"Baby," Brittany utters in a soothing voice, addressing Santana who jumps slightly at the word. She grabs Santana's hands, pulling the shorter woman closer to her. Santana's body relaxes slightly in her wife's arms.
"You think we're ready?" Brittany asks. She pulls away just enough to look Santana in the eye but still holds their hands together, lacing their fingers.
Santana doesn't look away this time. Instead, she searches Brittany's eyes for an answer. Santana doesn't know what to say at this point, barely believing she actually started the conversation in the first place. She's been wrestling with the idea for weeks now, how exactly to bring up the whole baby issue again with Brittany. They discussed it before they got married, just to make sure they were on the same page. They agreed they wanted to start a family together but didn't talk much more about it. Dealing with wedding plans and work commitments were more pressing matters at the time. But now things are different.
Santana reaches up to brush some stray hairs behind Brittany's ear, thinking seriously about what to say next. She grabs Brittany's hand again and rubs calming circles with her thumb, to soothe herself just as much as the blonde.
"I think we're ready to talk about it some more. And then go from there," Brittany looks down at this, a frown making its way across her face. This isn't what she expected to hear.
Santana recognizes her poor phrasing as soon as the words leave her mouth, "I mean, yeah, I think we're ready. To, uh…to talk about how we're going to do it. Because I think we're ready for a baby. I know we're ready."
Brittany swings their hands together, and now she's really starting to catch some of Santana's nervous, excited energy surrounding this conversation. She's not entirely surprised by the talk they're having right now, but Brittany figures she would be the one to initiate it. Brittany has always been the one to first breach such serious subject matter. She may not be book smart, but she is more connected to feelings than anyone else.
And both women have been bombarded with maternal feelings as of late. Many of their friends have been having children over the past year or so, which means Santana and Brittany have attended their fair share of baby showers, Christenings, and first birthdays. Brittany gets questions all the time from family and friends about when she and Santana are going to start a family. Occasionally someone will confront the two of them at once, and even then the question is still directed more towards Brittany than Santana.
Brittany knows why this is. She loves everyone and everything, a naturally warm and nurturing person. Santana is generally more reserved when it comes to her feelings. She's too sensitive to just give away pieces of herself so freely like her significant other does. So when people ask Brittany about when they're going to start their family, she takes a note out of Santana's book and gives nothing away. A shrug and a smile, and they generally don't press any further. They know it's different for two women.
"I know that it's different for us," Santana realizes neither one of them has spoken for a minute, just standing in an easy silence. She continues, "It might be really difficult and take a long time. And we're going to have to do a lot of thinking and planning and th—"
Brittany cuts off Santana's ramble with an amused laugh. Santana shoots her a confused smile. Brittany just beams back at her before pressing a chaste kiss against Santana's lips and softly caressing her cheek.
"Babe, I know. Just like I know you love planning and I know you think too much, probably more than anyone else ever. And just like I know I don't care how it happens, I know that we're having a baby."
Santana's face lights up in one of her signature smiles, broad and toothy and full of bliss.
"We're gonna have a baby."
Brittany's smile mirrors Santana's, "Yeah, we're gonna have a baby."