A/N: A special hi to all of you out there in the non-Tumblr world but who are now reading this little fic now that it's on ff . net . Thanks for all of those who have followed, favorited and subscribed to this story, you are all shiny golden galleons and I appreciate the hell out of each and every one of you. I hope everyone has a wonderful weekend!
As they continue to make their way back towards the tail end of the train, Santana marvels at the sheer number of people that Brittany seems to know. She even addresses some shy first-years by their first names, smiling brightly with a quick accompanying wave as her and Santana pass by.
They reach the caboose and Brittany pulls her wand from her back pocket and waves it quickly in front of the compartment, mumbling something under her breath Santana can't make out.
The door slides open with a flourish and Brittany steps back, extending her good arm towards the open door to let Santana pass through first. "After you." Brittany's smile is somewhat shy which seems unusual and Santana's heart quickens even more.
"Welcome to the big leagues," Brittany jokes, looking around the room. Santana figured the Prefect car would look like the rest of the student compartments on the train, but there are shelves overflowing with books, games and snacks of all kinds, a tiny private bathroom and a smattering of furniture that looks comfortably broken in.
An enormous grey tiger-striped tabby cat slinks across the room and winds its way between Brittany's legs, meowing loudly until Brittany reaches down to scratch between the beast's ears.
"This is Lord Tubbington, my cat. Tubs for short. Tubs, meet Santana."
"That is the fattest cat I've ever seen," Santana laughs, crouching down and holding her hand out for examination by the monster. It hisses at her, the hair on his back standing up on end.
"He can hear you, Santana," Brittany chides, "be nice!" She reaches down and coos at the cat, babbling at it adorably. "She didn't mean that, Tubs. I also didn't warn her how sensitive you are about your weight, so that's my fault. Who's a good boy?"
Santana shakes her head and stands back up, spying a pair of feet crossed over the arm of an overstuffed chair facing the back windows, someone laying across it horizontally but their face hidden from view.
Brittany seems to notice the other occupant as well, shrugging towards Santana and nodding for her to follow. Brittany glances around the chair and smiles warmly, lifting her index finger to her lips and mouthing "sleeping" before continuing on towards the door on the very back end of the train. Santana recognizes the sleeping boy as the Hufflepuff Prefect, Mike Chang, an open book titled "The Hobbit" face-down on his chest. Santana wonders what the hell a Hobbit is.
The door to the open-air platform of the train slides open of it's own accord, the wind rushing loudly into the compartment as the train speeds forward and both girls step through. Brittany leans her lower back up against the wrought iron railing and leans backwards, gazing up towards the skies, her long, blonde hair flapping wildly out behind her. Santana takes a place alongside her, resting on both forearms as she gazes out over the expansive Scottish landscape surrounding them. Rolling hills of green dwarfed by the majestic grey mountains still dusted with snow at the uppermost peaks.
Santana turns to find Brittany watching her. "What?" she asks, self consciously tucking a strand of hair behind her ear that is immediately whipped back into her face.
"I'm just trying to figure you out. You're a strange nut," Brittany puzzles, her eyes squinting slightly as if she's doing calculations in her head and trying to solve the equation that is Santana.
Santana doesn't answer, but feels her face flush with heat as she looks away.
"Hey," Brittany nudges Santana's elbow with her hip and waits until Santana meets her gaze before continuing. "I like you," Brittany says, easy as if she were commenting that the sky was blue. "I hardly know a single thing about you, but I like you all the same."
Santana stops breathing, her thoughts short-circuiting at the admission, but for some reason she can't look away. That familiar electricity is buzzing up and down her entire body, an unstoppable force seemingly tugging her closer and closer to Brittany. Opposite poles of magnets inevitably pulling together when they're close enough.
"I like you too." It's barely north of a whisper, but Brittany's smile widens all the same, her eyes more incandescent than usual and flickering with something like desire.
Santana shuffles another millimeter closer, her eyes never leaving Brittany's. It's almost as if Santana has lost all control of her instincts, and she can think about nothing else but Brittany's lips, her eyes falling unconsciously to them. Her heart skips a beat when Brittany's tongue darts out quickly and runs along her top lip, moistening it. Santana swallows thickly, boldly reaching to finger the soft hem of t-shirt just above Brittany's hip while pulling in a shaking breath and leaning in even closer.
They both startle when the door slides open, Santana springing a step backwards and turning towards the interruption, a string of curses at the tip of her tongue. Mike is awake and lopes out to join them, rubbing at one eye and patting down his sleep-mussed hair with the other hand, a tired smile on his face. "Hey Britt," he greets oblivious to the moment he just intruded on and ambling up to her for a one-armed hug. "How are you feeling, champ?"
Brittany takes a second to answer, drawing a hesitant breath and shaking her head to clear it before turning on that megawatt smile. "Oh just dandy, Mikey. Mike, meet Santana. Santana, this is Mike." Santana is sure to subtly wipe the sweat from her palm on her jeans before reaching to shake his outstretched hand. "Besides being a top-notch Prefect, Mikey here is the best dancer at school. You should see him bust a move, I swear he's other worldly."
Mike grins shyly, scuffing the toe of his sneaker on the platform and mumbling a "shut up, Britt."
"I will certainly not, especially because it's true!"
"Well at least tell her that you're just as good, if not better, than I am." Santana didn't know Brittany was a dancer. When she looks to Brittany, her ears are tinged with pink again and she's throwing a playful scowl in Mike's direction like an embarrassed little sister.
"Whatever."
"It's that time again," Mike says, nodding down the length of the train and holding up and tapping his watch for Brittany to see.
"Goody," Brittany answers, her voice dripping in sarcasm. "You know how much I love patrol. You'd think we could be a little less regimented considering we're on our way home for the summer..." When she finally turns to meet Santana's eye for the first time since they were interrupted, she wears an apologetic half-smile. "Come on, I'll walk you back to your compartment," and the three of them file back into the caboose carriage and start the trek back down the length of the train.
Santana's hands won't stop shaking.
Brittany is quiet and subdued as they pass through compartment after compartment before opening one final door and holding it open for Santana to pass through. Brittany doesn't move to follow her, so Santana turns so they're face-to-face, smiling shyly and running a nervous hand through her hair just for something to do.
"I umm," she starts.
"I gotta…" Brittany says at the same time, pointing a thumb aimlessly over her shoulder, indicating that she has to go on her normal Prefect patrol round through the train.
"Right. Well, thanks for the field trip." Santana hopes Brittany doesn't recognize the shaking in her voice.
Brittany studies her for a few long moments, as if debating something in her own head. She leans in almost imperceptibly before stopping herself and smiling softly. "Bye, Santana."
And she's gone.
When Santana finally steadies her breathing and heartbeat to a manageable level, she shuffles down the hall and pulls open the door of their compartment, falling into the unoccupied space next to Mercedes.
"Where the hell have you been?" Rachel's tone is accusatory with the slightest hint of desperation as she reaches to swat at Santana's leg. "When you say you're going to the bathroom, you can't simply just disappear for over a half hour!"
"She's a big girl, Rachel," Mercedes chides, patting Santana affectionately on the knee.
"Are you okay?" Sam asks, studying Santana carefully, his brow furrowing slightly in concern. "You look like you just threw up or something..."
Santana can't stop herself from blurting out, her words jumbled together and tumbling from her lips in a jumble. "IalmostkissedBrittany."
Quinn, Mercedes and Tina all shriek "WHAT?!" at almost exactly the same time and Santana swears Rachel's squeal reaches the high pitch tones that only dogs can hear.
Santana spends the remainder of the train ride being grilled by her friends and reliving the almost-kiss over and over again inside of her own head. What in the name of Merlin came over her? Santana Zero-Game Lopez nearly kissing Pefect Brittany Pierce off the back end of the Hogwarts Express? It's like some alternate universe where Santana isn't a love-struck incompetent idiot.
When the conversation finally turns to a different subject and Santana is let off the proverbial hook, she stares aimlessly out the compartment and into the hallway, hoping for another run-in with Brittany that never comes.
The train finally pulls into King's Cross station in the late afternoon. As usual, the platform is a chaotic mess of luggage trolleys, screeching owls, reuniting families and friends parting ways for the summer.
As Santana's parents find her through the bustle, she hugs each of her friends quickly, promising to write and visit over the course of the break, all the while scanning the crowd for a certain tall blonde.
She doesn't see Brittany again before her parents are leading her down the platform and she crosses the magical barrier into the muggle world.
