AN: Lol for the first time I have nothing to say except 'Hey!' xD The song of the chapter is 'Next to Me' by The Civil Twilight.
Disclaimer: I sadly don't own Glee or their characters, but I do own 'this' world I created. This is slightly AU. Sam, Quinn, and Brittany never went to McKinley. This is Rated M for language, humor, and some future steamy lady sexy times, but there is an epic storyline in the making! So Enjoy! ;)
Ch. 7 Next to Me
There's a smile etched upon my face when I wake up. The snippets of my dreams are already evading me fast but I know it had something to do with my favorite blue eyed blonde. I yawn and languidly look over at my clock to see it was a quarter past eleven.
I don't need to be up, Brittany is busy today.
I close my eyes with a groan and try to go back to sleep but its futile; when I'm up, I'm up. I let out another groan of annoyance and lay in my sheets contemplating what I should do today, but my thoughts leads back to Brittany.
Ugh...
Knowing that I'll just obsess over the blonde if I lay in bed, I sit up. I ruffle my unkempt hair into something salvageable then get up to go shower. From the humming I can hear, I know its Rachel in the tub so I decide to brush my teeth. The humming abruptly stops after I turn on the faucet and I look into the reflection of the mirror to see Rachel poking her head out of the curtains. As soon as she spots me she throws me a simple "Good afternoon" then closes the curtains and continues her shower.
"Morning", I return and Rachel pokes her head out again.
"Santana it is nearly twelve o'clock, it is the afternoon", she corrects and I barely spare her a glance.
"So? I just woke up so it is morning to me. In fact, I'd still say good morning if it was in the middle of the evening", I retorted after I rinsed out my mouth. "...and hurry up Berry I want at least a sliver of hot water. Since living with you and Kurt you'd think I was horny all the time with all the cold showers I'm forced to endure", I complained and Rachel huffed as she shut the curtains.
I snickered at her sounds of annoyance and hoped she had a tantrum in the tub. I could see it now, her stomping her foot, flipping the soap off the rack, then her slipping on said soap. I started to crack up just imagining her fall and getting caught in the curtains.
That would seriously make my day.
Rachel either ignores my laughter or doesn't hear it over the shower head because she doesn't comment on my hysterics. I take a seat and wait for the little drama queen to be finished which is surprisingly quick. She turns off the water and asks if I could give her her towel. I roll my eyes as I move over to the towel rack. I pass the royal blue towel; which is Kurt's. The red towel; mine, to get to the yellow towel that Rachel insists is gold. I had long ago found out that she has a unhealthy fixation with the color gold, but Kurt and I don't mind because at least it's not pink anymore. Pink was such an obnoxious color.
It's yellow...
I stick my hand pass the curtains with the towel for Rachel to take. I roll my eyes when Rachel asks me not to peek before she grabs the towel.
As if I'd want to see your dwarf body...
Rachel pulls back the curtain and struts out and I don't even turn my head her way. I just take off my clothes and head into the shower.
(Thirty Minutes Later...)
My mind is terrible company. I've been sitting on my couch, not watching the tv I turned on. I've been trying and failing to keep busy and not think about Brittany but as I said earlier, I'm failing because my brain has a vendetta against me. I want to see the blonde so bad. Or at least text her but then again my mind keeps being evil by reminding me that she's busy. I didn't want to bother her but I wanted to talk to her.
I'm so fucked when it comes to her...
I shake my head to get out of my thoughts and realize Rachel and Kurt are on the other side of the couch bickering over some person on the screen. I look forward and see I've been watching some soap and I roll my eyes. I lean over to the table and grab my forgotten drink. I gulp down the rest of my orange juice and decide I need to go for a walk. I tell my roommates bye but I doubt they heard me over their pointless arguing. I'm not bothered by them practically zoning me out. I do the same to them all the time so as I leave, I stick my hands into my pockets and walk down the streets of New York. I aimlessly walk around for a bit but I'm not really surprised this time when I find myself automatically heading towards the park.
Yes the blonde wouldn't be there but I just needed to be somehow closer to her. I'd just look at our doodles we'd drawn and be content of the memories we've created. So I follow the path directing me to our little safe haven with a smile on my face but it disappears as quick as it came. A hooded figure sat huddled into themselves on 'our' bench. I ground my teeth together in annoyance.
This person had a lot of nerve. It was public park, yes but goddamn it! Brittany and I marked the bench. It was 'ours' and no bummy loser was allowed to rest on it.
I thought I had made it clear too most of the runners or regular passers that our bench was off limits. Especially since I all but chewed out a bicyclist one afternoon. No one dared to take a seat on our bench after that but apparently the intimidation I'd instilled into the runners worn off.
I marched over to the person who had the audacity to sit where they didn't belong. I was ready to explode them when their head slowly lifted up at my arrival. My heart kind of plummeted and my jaw practically followed it. I looked into the tired blue eyes of Brittany and gasped. She looked sickly and pale, and her eyes stared at me in mild surprise and also... defeat?
"Oh my gosh Brittany!", I exclaimed after the initial shock wore off and the blonde flinched. She looked so disorientated but at the same time nervous.
"Hey...", she says softly and my alarm raises but by her expression I try to tone my panic down.
"What happened?", I ask and she shrugs.
"Chemo's a bitch...", she says airily like everyone gets it and my eyes blanch.
Chemo...
"Yeah its for the Erwin Starburst or maybe Ewing Samuels or whatever its called...", she says with slumped shoulders.
I know exactly what she was trying to say and it made that much more difficult to swallow. My face must look a certain way because she looks away from me. I watch as her body gets taut as if she were expecting some sort of retaliation from me and I frown.
This was all crazy, Brittany has cancer... What were the effects? I wouldn't know... How long had she had it? I still didn't know. Is she dying I don't know... I just don't know.
I make a sound that I don't even recognize or understand before sinking down onto the bench next to her and gently bringing her closer. She makes a pitiful noise as she rests her hooded head on my shoulder. I link our pinkies and just talk to her softly because it feels right.
"Hey... Britt it's okay, you're going to be okay", I whisper.
She shivers in my hold and I ask if I should call someone for her. She tells me that Sam was supposed to pick her up but he got held up for another hour more at his job so she just decided to go to the park. I decide in that moment that I'd take her home but then think against that because she'd be all alone.
She can stay with me... right next to me.
"Would you...", I start but stop. Brittany eyes me curiously and I start up again because I'm being ridiculous. "You could come to my loft if you wanted?", I get out and Brittany looks surprised at the offer. "Unless you don't want to",I say as I scratch the back of my head bashfully.
"I'd love too", she says with a weak smile and I nod.
"Okay hold on", I say as I pull out my phone then dial Rachel's number.
Yeah we didn't get along five out of ten times of the day but I knew if push came to shove, I could count on her. Rachel picks up on the first ring, knowing I only call for serious matters. I don't even let her speak as I tell her I need her to get to the park asap and oddly she just says okay then hangs up. She shows up ten minutes later wearing a concerned expression but I don't have time to explain.
"Don't ask. I promise I'll tell you later just lead the way please", I plead and she nods even though she takes side long glances at Brittany.
I turn away from my roommate and proceed to help Brittany onto her feet. She mumbles something akin to 'I'm tired' and I heft her up into my arms gently. She squeaks in surprise but doesn't make a fuss as I carry her to Rachel's Prius.
Thank God for Cheerios and Glee or carry this girl would have been a hassle...
Rachel opens the door for me without question and I thank her quietly. She again just nods then jogs to the drivers side. The drive back to the loft is quiet and when Rachel parks on the side of the road, I get out the car, run to Brittany's side of the door then lift her out and up into my arms again. Rachel walks in front of us. She unlocks the door and pulls the door open, I follow.
"Nice loft", Brittany compliments quietly as I heft her inside.
"Thanks", I answer as I walk her straight into my room and put her on my bed. Rachel is at my door but I'm pushing her out the doorway saying thank you for helping out but get out.
"Is she going to be okay?", she asks before I close the door and I wonder to myself will she be...
I fidget in the doorway at Rachel's imploring eyes. I can't even fathom an answer so I shrug and tell her again that I'm so grateful for her helping out and that I'd explain tomorrow before closing the door. I turn around and find Brittany sitting up and sluggishly looking around.
"Either you're an alcoholic or a liquor collector", she said softly and I snort.
I looked around my room and could see why she would make such an assumption. My room was sparsely decorated but I did have book shelves I found at a thrift store for three bucks. Instead of novels I decided to fill them with any and all types of liquor. I even had a mini bar center with a mini fridge but I rarely used it unless Rachel felt like hosting some crazy shenanigan and roped me into being the barista. I looked at Brittany, noting I never clarified my job and shook my head.
"I'm a bartender and most of the time I end up mixing drinks for parties here at the loft so I like to be stocked up", I answer but when I sit down I sigh. Brittany lays back with a tired groan and my eyes search for hers but they're closed. "This is so not how I expected how I'd get you into my bed", I joke to get her to look at me and it works.
Her blue eyes open and the sly smile I had grown to admire immensely appeared on the blondes face.
"Oh?", she said with a grin but she looked tired.
I wanted to tease, to talk, to get answers, I really did but my concern for her well being won out. She could tell me about the cancer later, not that it would change how I'd feel.
"Scoot over, let's take a nap", I ordered and Brittany moved over.
It was weird. We were a good distance apart and we didn't talk at all. This was not how we acted how we worked... I started to have second thoughts on bringing her here, but then I felt a hand search for mine and I smiled. I gripped her hip and dragged her over. She winced and I apologized immediately.
"Sorry! I mean I thought... I forgot... I'm sorry- I..", I rambled but she shushed me.
"It's okay the doctor said that the chemo would make me feel weird, it's not you", she reassured me as she scooted into my body. "You don't find this weird?", she said after some time had passed and I looked down at her.
"What do you mean?", I question and she shrugs.
"I dunno us? this... me", she says with a yawn and I laugh.
"No, I'm going with the flow and right now I'm feeling pretty comfortable. We can talk after the nap and when you feel better", I tell her and she nods. I watch as she closes her eyes and I follow her lead.
I feel her relax in my grip and her breathing evening out in minutes. I spend the rest of my time rubbing tentative circles on her soft skin, being careful not to wake her and focusing on her quiet inhales and exhales of breath as she sleeps. I feel more content just laying here with Brittany than I've ever felt with any person.
AN: I know what you're thinking, "Oh no! She's going to die". No she's not, this story is not going that route ever... Other than that let me know what you thought of this chapter :) Oh! and to any Succubus fans I posted the prelude chapter today yay! :D
-Tatter
