A/N: Okay, so this is pretty much my first ever attempt at writing (that isn't an essay or a song), so constructive criticism would be much appreciated.
If there was anyone Santana Lopez was expecting to be waiting by her locker the Monday morning after Prom, it most certainly wasn't Kurt Hummel. The young fashionista was leaning beside her locker, looking stylish as ever, examining the tassels on the end of his sepia Marc Jacobs scarf. Looking at him this morning, you'd never guess he had been humiliated in front of the entire school just a few days before. But he faced it with his head high and Santana was secretly proud of him for that.
She faltered for a moment before striding over to her locker and the boy, curious to see what exactly it was that he wanted.
She gave him a disinterested glance before inputting her locker combination and rummaging around for a non-existent textbook, waiting for him to speak.
He paused a few seconds longer, until he realised she wasn't going to acknowledge him unless he spoke first.
"Good morning, Santana."
"What do you want, Kurt?"
If Kurt was surprised that she hadn't insulted him, he didn't show it. He just pushed himself up from his leaning position on the locker and took a step towards her, bringing his emerald eyes up to meet her coffee ones.
"I wanted to talk to you. Well, ask you something, to be more precise"
Santana turned to look at him, puzzled, and Kurt took a moment to internally applaud her fashion sense. She was wearing a white blazer with black lapels over a tight black dress, which was a signature clothing choice for Santana, with a pair of black high heeled boots completing the outfit.
"Go ahead," she prompted.
"Why did you do it?" Kurt sounded as though he'd been burning to ask forever and couldn't hold in his curiosity any longer.
"...Do what?" Santana replied hesitantly.
"Why did you do all this? Karofsky, The Bully Whips? Why did you bring me back?"
Santana opened her mouth, ready to reiterate what she's been telling everyone from the start, but Kurt interrupted.
"And don't try to sell me your Prom Queen story again, because we all know bringing me back would only gain you votes from the Glee club, and half of them are your competition anyway. They would probably still vote for themselves if you saved the earth from a gigantic meteor, threw them a parade and then baked them all cookies."
"In what reality do you see me baking cookies and throwing parades for anyone, let alone those mouth breathers?" Santana half scoffed, attempting not to laugh at the ridiculous image it had given her.
For a second, Kurt thought of pointing out that he was willing to bet she would do those things for Brittany, but he didn't actually know this for certain. He'd always had suspicions about the two ex-Cheerios, but he had no proof - apart from maybe the occasional affectionate look he'd catch the two sharing - that they were anything more than close friends with benefits, so he persisted in his query.
"Not the point of the question, Santana," he huffed.
"Why does it matter why I did it? You're back now, aren't you? We keep you safe, you get to be here with your friends and Glee club, and you get a second chance at Nationals. Why can't you just accept it and move on?"
"Because I can't believe that Santana Lopez would do something without having it benefit her in some way."
Santana wavered for a moment and stared at her locker.
"Not everything I do has an ulterior motive, you know..." she mumbled.
Kurt almost smirked. He had been hoping she would admit that, but he didn't actually think she would.
"So to what do I owe the honour of a selfless act courtesy of Santana Lopez?"
"Don't get too flattered, Porcelain, I didn't do this for you. I did it for-," she almost said Brittany but managed to catch herself, "I did it for me, okay? I need you here..."
Santana hesitated for a moment before saying the last part, so quiet that Kurt almost didn't catch it. Kurt raised a single, perfectly shaped eyebrow at her statement.
"What do you mean?"
Santana sighed, threw her hair over her shoulder and looked around the hallway to be sure no one would hear her before continuing, the words coming out of her so fast that they almost merged together at points.
"I need you here to remind me that there's a chance for me. To show me I can be brave, too. You're the only other gay person I know. Well, except Karofsky, but he's so far in the closet, he's probably having tea with Mr Tumnus as we speak."
Kurt almost missed the implication of her words, distracted by the thought of Karosky in a fluffy winter coat and ear muffs, hunched down under the low ceiling with a tiny teacup cradled in his huge hands.
Kurt suddenly snapped back to reality when her words caught up with him and Santana was giving him a pointed look.
"Wait, you mean...?"
"Look, the only chance me and you have of surviving being out in High School is if people are scared of us. Now, you kind of have that deer in the head lights look going on, which isn't exactly intimidating, so it's up to me to pick up the slack and protect us, but I can't do it without a little back up. The Glee club like you, so if you soften them up to me, maybe they'll stick by me when the time comes."
"When you come out, you mean?"
Santana nodded almost surreptitiously. So the rumour was true after all; Santana Lopez, the girl who had supposedly slept with the whole football team, was standing here, telling him she's gay. He had to admit, it made sense if he thought about it. It's not like she ever seemed particularly interested in the guys she dated and her relationship with Brittany was hardly innocent.
"What about Brittany?" Kurt questioned suddenly.
"What about her?"
"Does she know?"
"That I'm gay?"
"That you plan on coming out."
"It was her idea, actually," Santana revealed, eyes downcast. "She doesn't want to be with someone who'll deny what she is to them..."
She trailed off and they were both silent for a moment, Santana's gaze on Kurt's black and white Dr Martens, Kurt's on Santana's face, taking in her expression. In that moment, he realised something that had been staring him - and everyone else for that matter - in the face for the past two years.
"You really love her, don't you?"
"More than anything. That's why I want to do this. Now, before it's too late. I've kept her waiting long enough."
Kurt smiled softly.
"So the ice queen does have a heart," he joked lightly. She gave him a gentle punch to the arm and he laughed at the friendly gesture from her. "Well, I am somewhat of a romantic. Who am I to say no to helping true love grow?"
Santana returned his smile, before remembering something. She turned serious again and looked at Kurt.
"I'm so sorry about what happened to you at Prom. If I'd known, Kurt..."
"Don't apologise," he interrupted, "you've done everything in your power to protect me ever since I came back, not to mention making it possible for me to come back in the first place. Thank you, Santana. You don't know how happy I am to be back, and it's all thanks to you."
They smiled at each other for a moment.
"Well, it's about damn time!" Santana exclaimed.
"I was kind of expecting a 'thank you' in return" Kurt said, narrowing his eyes and smirking playfully.
Santana laughed lightly and Kurt couldn't help but think he liked this Santana; the Santana who put her bitch face away and was herself, the way she usually only was around Brittany. Her laughter faded and she fixed him with a look of sincerity.
"Thank you, Kurt."
"You are very welcome, Santana," he said, with a slight bow. He moved beside her and held out his elbow for her to link her arm through, and she obliged.
"Now," Kurt continued, "let's go get some coffee, I think we both need a pick me up before facing the next hideous vest of Will Shuester this afternoon."
Santana chuckled at this as they made their way towards the exit.
"Ugh, he really does need to see someone about that, those vests are enough to make me want to hurl my out of a top story window." She eyed him with mock disdain for a moment. "This doesn't make us friends or anything, you know. It just makes us even." However, she gave him a playful smirk to show she was joking and he grinned in return.
"Whatever you say, Satan. Whatever you say."