A/N:
Pretty obviously a Mash-off filler. Hope you enjoy it. I especially like the last part myself. Burt and Santana interaction. HECK YEAH!
I wrote this quite a while ago, pretty soon after the episode first aired, I think, and I reckon it shows in places. Only weeks later, but my writing I recently did feels so different from this. If you are a regular reader of mine, I would love to know what your impression is. THANXS!
Gonna Be Alright
With no tears left Santana steps back out into the McKinley hallway, which she hopes to be empty by now.
As her eyes meet his, she instantly goes into defense mode.
No matter how small his frame or how soft his expression, Santana has learned a pleasant façade really means less than nothing.
"What do you want?" she tries hard to sound as harsh and disinterested as she knows she can manage walking these walls, even on her worst of days. Shutting herself down completely as soon as she enters the building, every time. And she envies them sometimes, all the idiots that don't give anyone's existence, not even their own, enough thought to ever have to feel anything like this.
"Finn is such an asshole lately."
That was not what Santana had expected to come out of Blaine's mouth.
Probably looking as stunned as she can hear herself sounding when she lets out a bitter "Yeah," she walks over to Blaine.
He is leaning against the row of lockers, arms crossed over his chest, brow furrowed.
For a while they just stand there, both back pressed against the lockers, both staring down at the floor.
Santana glances over and sees Blaine's chest rise and fall a little too quick with breaths too short.
When Blaine turns his head to the left and catches Santana's gaze there is an unmistakable question radiating from them.
How on earth it is that Blaine cares enough to be here right now, next to her, when everyone else seems to have just left. Claiming to but not even caring enough to even so much as pretend to care.
"Someone did that to me."
And Santana wants Blaine to say more but they both look up as they hear footsteps echoing in the hall around the corner.
Blaine breaks into a smile as Kurt comes into view.
He walks directly up to them and pulls Blaine deep into his arms. Blaine says to Santana "They did it to him too."
Kurt pulls back and locks questioningly at Blaine, so he adds "Out you."
"Oh yes, even before I knew myself people came up to my parents and told them they better watch out or I would turn into a filthy f…,"
"Don't use that word," Santana almost shouts, locking eyes with Kurt.
"I am just quoting," Kurt says almost smiling.
"How can you be so…," Santana slides to the ground.
"Relaxed about it?" Kurt asks, kneeling down in front of her and holding out a hand, "Come on up, we are not having this talk on the floor of this place."
"The disgust in your voice sounds much more authentic than whatever that was before," Santana replies, and Kurt is kind of proud, he almost made her smirk in the suggestive way only Santana can, no matter the topic.
This afternoon Santana unexpectedly finds herself walking out of McKinley with Kurt and Blaine next to her, holding hands, which she has never seen them do in public before, "You should do that more often".
Blaine and Kurt both look questioningly at her.
"Hold hands." Her explanation is met with smiles.
"What?" Santana asks.
"We do that plenty, just not at school," Blaine replies.
And Kurt is quick to add, "Usually." Which earns him another smile from Blaine.
Standing next to Kurt's car Santana bursts into tears and Kurt is quick to take her in his arms, asking softly, "Hey, what is it?"
"If I could not hold Brits hand at school I…it would feel horrible." There is a moments silence and more tears before she adds, "I guess now I really can't anymore."
Blaine moves to wrap his arms around her as Kurt has to let go to unlock the car.
Blaine slips into the backseat with Santana, who has yet to stop crying.
The drive to Kurt's house feels long, especially to Kurt.
Strapped helpless in the driver's seat, forced to focus on the road only occasionally allowing himself to glance into the rear mirror at the two figures.
When Santana calms down a little time, to Blaine, seems to start working again at almost average pace.
For Santana, though, it still seems like just a second ago that she stepped of that stage and slapped Finn.
"How could he do that to me?"
"Finn can be fucking insensitive and naïve I guess," Kurt tries.
"No, he knew exactly what he was doing. He practically shouted after me that I should come out of the closet already, and what a coward I am. In the middle of a fucking crowded hallway at school."
"Dick," Blaine says without thinking.
Kurt sits there still chuckling lightly when he says, "He seems out to tear everyone down these days, doesn't he? Especially you two. I know he feels threatened by you, Love. What I don't understand is why he is suddenly out for you, Santana."
Santana shrugs, "I guess, I made one too many jokes for his liking."
"No, I think there is much more," Kurt instantly replies shaking his head, "Something that has nothing at all to do with any of us, only with himself. That's my guess anyway."
The exhaustion Blaine feels shows on his face. "I just, Kurt, I don't know how long I can keep up the polite smiles and …"
Blaine is interrupted by Kurt, "…that's it, he wants you to crack, to tell him how worthless he is because he needs confirmation that his own suspicions are true. Idiot. Him, not you."
"So why did he blow up on me then?" Santana asks.
"Yeah, that really makes no sense. Damn. Okay. Forget what I just said. Or don't."
"I wish I knew how to make sense of all this," Kurt adds as he pulls into the driveway of his home.
xxxx
As Burt steps into the living room this evening he is greeted with a sight he had hoped never to see again. Kurt is sitting on the couch, a cheerleader in his arms at least not on top of him this time Burt thinks, fighting to keep the flashbacks at bay.
Blaine walks in from the kitchen, drinks in his hands and can't help bursting into laughter as he sees Burt's irritated and slightly pained expression.
Both Santana and Kurt turn to look at him. They only notice Burt when Blaine says, "Kurt, I think your dad is wondering what's the deal with you and lesbian cheerleaders."
"Brittany is not a unicorn," Kurt says and even Santana cannot help bursting into laughter at that, Burt chuckling quietly himself.
"What?" Kurt asks in all seriousness, but the smirk is already tugging at the left corner of his lips, "She told me herself, maybe a Bicorn." Kurt realizes too late what he just said, and Santana is in tears again, sobbing, "Maybe."
".Shit. I am sorry Santana, that was totally insensitive."
"Not your fault she loves me less than I love her," Santana chokes out as she gets up from the couch.
She is securely wrapped into a warm hug within seconds and leans into it without thinking.
"It's gonna be okay."
The words startle her, so does the proximity of the voice they come in.
"Kurt, how did your dad turn out so amazing?" Santana asks, earning herself another chuckle from the father whose arms she is wrapped in.
"I have tried getting to the bottom of that secret before as well," Blaine replies, "I still think my theory about Burt actually being a fairytale character from another dimension is the most plausible."
"Dork," Santana and Kurt bought reply at the same time.
Burt just keeps standing there, holding Santana as Kurt and Blaine wrap themselves in each other's arms on the couch.
Minutes pass before Santana lightens her grip on Burt and moves out of his hug, whispering "Thank you."
Kurt looks stunned. He has never heard Santana whisper before, let alone these words.
Burt smiles warmly at her, "You can always come here if it gets too much at school or at home."
Santana, tears in her eyes, moves to quickly hug Burt again, before she settles down on the couch next to Blaine. Words had not felt like enough to express her gratitude.
Blaine flings an arm around her shoulder and she settles into Blaine's left side.
"I'm so glad you two are here," Santana whispers into the comfortable quiet of the room.
A/N: I think people in here (no, not characters anymore, heck, I spend so much time around them, I am just going to call them people now, much better company anyway than most 3D people I know, you know, what the world calls real) might be slightly out of character. Let me know how it feels for you? THANXS!
And did anyone catch the 'Once Upon Time' shout out?
LOVE YA!