It had been two weeks since Dani started college. The first week wasn't actually that bad, but the past week made Dani almost completely regret coming to college. She never imagined the amount of work she would have to do, and how hard it would be. Biology wasn't that bad, but Calculus and English were impossible.
Right now Dani was staring at her Calculus text book with a look of utter confusion. To her, it looked like someone had just thrown up a random combination of numbers and symbols. In her frustration, Dani was chewing on the tip of her pencil, a habit she had picked up in high school. Just as she was about to give in, the sound of someone talking caught her attention.
"Need help Danielle?" Cassie, her annoying roommate, asked. Dani sighed and closed the book, sitting up so she could properly look at Cassie. "No thanks. And I've asked you before to call me Dani." Her roommate gave a small chuckle before saying "Dani makes me think of a boy. Danielle is much more feminine." Dani bit her tongue, resisting the urge to insult Cassie. It had only been two weeks and the girl, who was from Rhode Island, was quickly getting on Dani's last nerve. Cassie was a neat freak, and was always yelling at Dani to pick up her stuff and keep her bed made when not in use. Dani could actually deal with it all, if the girl wasn't so homophobic.
On the day they first met, Cassie hadn't wasted any time in explaining to Dani how religious she was, and she made it clear that she was 100% against homosexuality. Dani knew right away that they were never going to be friends, and she also decided to keep her sexuality to herself. She didn't want to cause any trouble.
"We never hang out. You should have lunch with my boyfriend and I. I'll even invite Ian to come if you want" Cassie said with a wink. At the mention of Ian, Dani rolled her eyes. Ian was a guy who was in Calculus with Dani and Cassie. Unfortunately for Dani, he had formed quite the crush on her and had since been flirting non-stop. Just the thought of him made Dani cringe. "Doesn't seem like something I'd be interested in. I'm gonna go to the library to get some help with this, see ya later" Dani announced, gathering her stuff and walking out the door.
Once she closed the door, a soft smile appeared on her face. Not only was she glad to be away from Cassie, but she knew Santana would be at the library. Thinking about the older Latina never failed to cheer Dani up. She was always willing to offer help to Dani, but they would both be lying if they said their relationship was purely academic.
The first time Santana had helped Dani with homework, Dani had hesitated to be flirtatious. She was worried that Santana only saw her as a student, yet Santana's subtle touches and flirting quickly convinced her otherwise. Dani now saw Santana about 3 times a week, and they spent most of the time flirting. That's not to say that they never got any work done. No, Santana always made sure that Dani got all the help she needed before the real flirting started.
As she walked into the library, Dani couldn't help but walk faster as she spotted Santana. Today Santana was wearing a salmon colored top and white pants that fit her so perfectly. By the time she reached her, Dani was practically drooling.
"Hey Dani!" Santana greeted while engulfing Dani in a hug. Dani felt so comfortable in Santana's arms, even if it was just for a second. "Hey. Can you help me with my Calculus?" Dani asked once the two pulled apart. Santana smiled, quickly agreeing to help. A light blush made it way to Dani's face when she felt Santana's hand on the small of her back, leading her over to a table in the back. As usual, Santana pulled out a chair for Dani to sit in before she let herself sit.
Under Santana's intense gaze, Dani fumbled around trying to pull her books out of her bag. "I have no idea what I'm supposed to do. I pay attention in class and take notes, but none of it makes any sense!" Dani exclaimed, surprised when her voice cracked. She had tried to hide her frustration, but evidently she was unable to. "Sorry. I'm just tired of putting in so much effort for nothing." Santana placed a comforting hand on top of Dani's, completely understanding her situation. "Dani, it's perfectly fine. You have dyscalculia, I don't expect you to understand it. That's what I'm here for." Dani inwardly cringed at the mention of one of her learning disorders. Her family wasn't exactly financially stable, so she never got any kind of help. In fact, Santana was the first person to ever offer aide. "Thanks" Dani muttered quietly.
To her surprise, Santana grabbed Dani's Calculus book away from her and closed it. "We can work on this later," she explained "I was thinking that we could just get to know each other?" Dani wasn't about to pass on this opportunity, so of course she agreed. "What's your family like?" Santana questioned. Dani laughed at the basic question but answered anyway. "Nothing exciting I guess. My mom is a journalist and I never knew my dad because he died of a drug-overdose when my mom was pregnant with me." Dani didn't want any sympathy from Santana since she wasn't upset over it, so she continued. "I have an older brother, we're actually really close. He's the assistant director of a vocal group at his old high school" Dani explained while sliding her phone over to Santana so she could see her family.
Dani's expression because one of confusion as Santana reacted to the picture. "Oh my God! Frankenteen is your brother?!" Santana practically shouted. "You know Finn?" Dani asked, perplexed as to how Santana could possibly know her older brother. "We went to high school together! We both both in the glee club and I even took his- uh, never mind. I didn't even know he had a sister!" Santana said, being just as confused as Dani. "Well, when he was a senior I was in 8th grade and I never really cared to be around when he had friends over. I'm not sure why he never mentioned me though..." Dani trailed off with a slight frown.
"Wait, so I guess you know Rachel Berry then?" Santana wondered. "Yeah, she was engaged to Finn for a bit. Why?" Dani watched as Santana started laughing before she said "She's my roommate!" Hearing that, Dani joined her in laughing. "You know, this whole situation is kind of weird, but funny at the same time" Santana commented. Dani agreed, and soon any trace of confusion was gone.
After talking for a little bit more and doing her homework, Dani noticed that it was already dark outside. As much as she would've preferred to stay here with Santana and keep talking, she figured it would be a better idea to get back to her dorm. After all, Cassie was probably wondering where she was. "I should get going, it's getting late." She smirked when Santana groaned, it was quite funny to see the older woman complain. "Okay. Let me walk you back to your room though" Santana insisted, getting up to help Dani put away her books.
It was a short walk back to Dani's dorm, and the two girls spent it in a comfortable silence. As soon as they had walked out of the library Dani had felt Santana intertwine their fingers, which caused the young blonde to smile and feel warm and fuzzy inside. It wasn't the first time they held hands, but this time it felt like something more. Whether it was because they had finally gotten to know each other better instead of just flirting or something else, Dani didn't know. She didn't really care either, she was just glad to be holding Santana's hand.
Much to fast for Dani's liking, the pair arrived at her room. "Thanks for helping me. I really had fun" Dani said, beaming up at Santana. "Before you go in, can I try something?" Santana asked, trying to sound casual. Dani's heart fluttered at the tone in Santana's voice, and she barely managed to stutter a permission. It all happened so fast, and before Dani could even react, Santana's lips were pressed up against hers. Dani accepted the kiss, which lasted for several short seconds before Santana pulled away.
"Was that okay?" Dani heard Santana ask her nervously. Dani snapped out of her post kiss bliss, smiling shyly at Santana. "That was perfect" she breathed out. "Good," Santana said with a confident smirk "maybe we can try it again sometime." Dani laughed at how fast Santana went from being nervous to so sure of herself. "Yeah, I'd like that" Dani responded. Santana wiggled her fingers at Dani to say good-bye, and Dani shamelessly stared after her as she left. Once Santana was out of her vision, Dani walked into her room, ignoring the questions Cassie was pelting her with. Nothing else mattered, all she wanted to do was go to bed and dream about the sexy Latina she found herself craving.
Do you guys like how I'm making Dani's character? As much as I love them (they're actually my favorite kind of Dantana fics), I really want to stay away from the idea that Dani is "broken" and focus on other aspects of their relationship. Would you guys prefer no angst at all, or would you want me to add some later?
Also for the sake of this fic, Finn's mom never married Kurt's dad. Hope you guys liked this chapter!