"Give it to me straight, – pun intended – Warbler," is the first thing that the pretty Latina girl says to Wes when he takes a seat at her table, after finishing the Warblers' set.
To say Wes is alarmed would be an understatement, because her statement is blunt, and very much to the point. To the point that Wes had thought he was keeping very secret, but has apparently been broadcasting to strangers. Quickly, he puts on his most charming smile, and inclines his head slightly to the side in the universal image of confusion. The female doesn't seem to buy his I have no idea what you're talking about act at all, but also she doesn't call him out on it immediately, and he proceeds to ask with all the innocence he can muster, "What do you mean?"
The girl just rolls her eyes, and crosses her arms definitively before leaning back against her seat. "Cut the crap," she declares, far too loudly for Wes's preference. "I've been with so many guys, I can tell just from smelling you that you're on that side of the rainbow fence – though I will give you credit for keeping it toned down, since I'm pretty sure your robot buddies don't know a thing," she notes with a sort of appreciative tone, as she glances around the room, where the rest of the Warblers have split up to chat up those of the female persuasion.
And the male persuasion, apparently, as a look over the girl's shoulder reveals Kurt sitting at a booth with a dejected looking blonde male. Kurt's arm is draped over the boy's shoulders comfortingly, and he's holding the other boy very intimately. Though it should help that the blonde doesn't look interested in romance at the moment (he is apparently alone on Valentine's Day; Wes can only assume it's recent, and painful), it really doesn't. Wes is more focused on the fact that Kurt's acting more affectionately with the New Directions boy than Wes has ever seen him act with Blaine – which is saying something, considering that Thad usually has to be reminded at least once a week that Kurt and Blaine aren't dating.
When Kurt presses a soft kiss to the blonde boy's forehead, and his fingers start to run through the blonde's hair – with absolutely no protest whatsoever from the soloist from Sectionals – Wes casts his gaze to the tabletop in front of him, and mumbles, "Could you please keep it down? I'm still coming to terms with it…I don't want them to know yet."
The girl makes a Hmph-like noise, but consents anyway, dropping her tone to a much lower volume. "So it's like that, huh? Fine, whatever. You can at least tell K, though," she points out, almost sounding sympathetic for a second – though it's gone a moment later. "He's not going to try and force you out of Narnia or something, believe me."
For some reason, Wes does. Maybe it's because the girl actually seems to be trying to help him, though her voice is still snarky, and she seems like she might be a bitch. Or maybe it's because her eyes look like they're trying to tell him that she knows about why Kurt transferred – something that Wes only knows about because Blaine made a point of briefing the Council on it before their disastrous Gap outing.
Whatever the reason, Wes lets out a vulnerable sigh, and gives the female a pitiful look. "Wesley, by the way," he introduces blandly. She nods, and introduces herself to be Santana.
"So? Why not tell him?" she presses in irritation. Wes doesn't know how to answer that, and just stares at her in response – something which just looks like it annoys her further, as she heaves a sigh of exasperation before leaning in closer, and glaring at him intensely. "Listen up, Birdy, 'cause I'm only be giving you this fucking choice advice once: He's not going to look at you if he thinks you're straight. He's been there, and it was not pretty."
The grimace that passes over Santana's countenance is only there briefly, but Wes manages to catch it all the same, and instantly – she's a thousand times more trustworthy. Because it's a sorrowful grimace, like she's empathizing with just how "not pretty" Kurt's ordeal was.
Wes sighs again, and focuses on where his hands are folded limply on the table between them. "He's interested in someone else. Someone out. And I think he's brokenhearted right now. I don't want to spring anything on him…"
Santana snorts, and Wes looks up in interest – only to see her watching him in contempt. "The selfless excuse. Nice try – but I'm not buying it. I know what happened with DapperFace McShittyAdvice," she begins, as Wes stifles an ill-placed chuckle at the term of address. "But I also know that they talked it out, or something lame like that. He's been friendzoned. On Valentine's Day. Do you know how much that blows? But it wasn't as serious as he thinks it was. He says he was in love, but love's like, the most selfish thing in the world."
The quirk of the eyebrow that Wes calls upon to express his complete confusion causes Santana to purse her lips in frustration, and give him a look like he's a hopeless idiot. "Do I really have to spell it all out for you?" she inquires, to which Wes has no answer to give. She rolls her eyes at the silent acknowledgement of the fact that yes, she does, and elaborates with strained civility.
"Yeah, some people will tell you that when you really love someone, you want them to be happy, no matter what. But that's bull. When you actually love someone, you don't care about other people making them happy; all you can think about is what you can do to make them happiest with you. So the way I see it, K's not in love with your man version of Berry, because he knew exactly why you guys were going to Old Navy."
"It was the Gap," Wes interjects helpfully, though it doesn't seem quite so helpful when Santana hushes him with a glower.
"So if you really care about him, then I've got a bright idea for you – tell him. It's Valentine's Day, he's alone, and the worst he can do is say no – and that would be saying no to the first person who's ever asked him out, much less on fucking Valentine's Day," Santana points out, with a borderline sort of sincere kindness, as she reaches across the table to pat Wes on the shoulder. "Besides," she adds with a quick, and almost longing glance over her shoulder, at where Kurt's still sitting with that blonde. "What people never remember about rebounds is that if they play their cards right – as in, they don't take advantage of the prime opportunity they have to get some ass – they could actually end up winning big."
Wes just smiles at what is actual logic in her words, before standing up, leaving her with a brief and heartfelt, "Thank you," and makes his way towards the table behind her.
Kurt looks up at him with a sad smile pointed at his nameless friend, and mouths, "Cheated."
Giving an understanding nod, Wes sits across the table from the pair before saying cheerfully, "Hey, what's the story on Santana? She seems great."
The two boys across from him look over at Santana with differently valued expressions of curiosity and pensiveness, before Kurt murmurs the thought, "I should ask Blaine to apologize to her…she'd castrate me if she heard me saying it, but she's been really lonely lately, and he didn't have to make a joke out of it."
With what Wes can only assume is female intuition mixed with telepathic mind powers, Santana turns around to scowl halfheartedly at Kurt like she could sense his words. The countertenor just shrugs lightly, and gives her an apologetic smile, before unwrapping his arms from around his male friend.
Said male friend promptly stands up, and offers Kurt a quiet, "Thanks," before making his way towards where Santana's sitting. She gives him a wintry smile in greeting, and he returns it before sitting down in Wes's recently vacated seat.
Kurt makes a surprised Hm! noise, before smiling warmly at Wes and exhaling dramatically. "So, what kind of romantic plans did I ruin for you tonight?"
After a brief spell of choking on nothing but air, saliva, and shock – a spell of choking that's highly embarrassing, considering the way that Kurt looks very concerned when Wes can open his eyes again – Wes mutters a dismissive response of "Nothing – no one to spend it with," to the salt shaker.
Patting Wes's hand in what's probably supposed to be a friendly, comforting motion (but that seems more tender and loving than anything; damn holiday mindset), Kurt responds regretfully, "I'm sorry, I didn't realize that you and your girlfriend had broken up."
Wes almost laughs at how sorry Kurt really does sound, until he reasons that it would probably make him look like more of an insensitive douche than it will when Kurt finds out that the girlfriend was his quote-unquotable beard. Instead, he just manages a thin smile, and assures, "It's fine; it was a while ago." (He takes great care to not mention that it was more along the lines of three months ago – about when Kurt first spied on the Warblers at Dalton.)
"So, we're both alone for the holiday," Kurt declares with a theatrical groan, though his eyes are sparkling in that way of theirs – the way that makes them look really green, almost hazel. It's all Wes can do to manage to tear his own gaze away, and play it cool.
It's not an easy feat, considering that Kurt's looking at him earnestly, waiting for him to say something, and that he's pretty sure he can feel Santana's eyes boring into the back of his skull. He settles for a none-too-smooth stuttering of, "We don't have to be – we could be alone together, I mean, so we wouldn't really be alone at all?"
Kurt just stares, with his mouth slightly open in a very cute manner, and Wes really wishes that the floor would swallow him about now, because he cannot remember the last time he was this mortified.
Except then, Kurt smiles softly, and he asks so quietly, and so hopefully, "Just so that we're both on the same page, you're suggesting that the two of us spend the rest of today – the holiday that celebrates romance – together?"
Since Wes has somehow managed to forget how to speak, he just nods dumbly, and waits for the part where Kurt laughs in his face and skips off into the sunset with Blaine.
It doesn't come, and when he risks a look at Kurt's face, the brunette's still smiling fondly at him, and the countertenor remarks very simply, "That sounds nice. We could say our goodbyes, then go see a movie?"
After another response in the form of a wordless nod on Wes's part, Kurt giggles as he stands up, and makes his way to the table where a boy in a wheelchair and the blonde dancer from Sectionals are sitting. When Wes finally remembers oh right, I'm supposed to move, he flags down David and informs him as casually as he can (answer: not very) that he's leaving early, and won't need a ride home. David gives him an inquisitive look, but then Kurt's voice is heard over the bustle, saying to a petite Asian girl, "I'm heading out early, honey – tomorrow, bright and early, will you let me do you up? I have been dying for someone to give a decent makeover to –" and the taller Council member gives Wes a cheeky grin, and a thumbs up.
Without even the dignity to blush anymore, Wes grins back lightheartedly before dropping his hands casually into his pockets, and nodding farewell to Blaine. (Who's in the middle of an apparently riveting conversation with Rachel about Barbara Streisand, and barely acknowledges Wes's motion.)
Wes has absolutely no idea if this constitutes as a date. For all he knows, Kurt could think that they're just two single and sad friends going to a movie. But he does know that on their way out the door, Kurt wraps a tentative arm around Wes's waist, which tightens when Wes – unintentionally, and temporarily horrifyingly – vocalizes the thought that it feels like it fits.
And he knows that he saw Kurt smile, and blush, when they heard Santana calling, "Get some, Gasian!" after them, too.
xoxox
AN: Yeah, belated for Valentine's Day. I'm lame that way. Anyway. SLS makes me think that Wes and Santana would have this epic hagship, because Wes could not take his eyes off of Kurt during his "We're lonely on Valentine's Day, but life doesn't totally suck" speech. Mmhm. /totes shipping Wertana.
AN (2): Errors are the product of my own crappy proofreading.
Disclaimer: I own nothing.
